Bakugan: The War of Starsector
by RexDragosaurus
Summary: When Phyra finds an enigmatic Ability card in his room, it sets off a chaotic chain of events: a murder, a miraculous discovery, the rise of an unknown villain, questions which are best left unanswered, and conflict, past and present. This is a tale of war and peace, creation and destruction, of love, loss and finding. This is the War of Starsector.
1. Prologue: Of Fate

**A/N: **This is a rather large novel I wrote a while ago, as an A/U prequel to the _Bakugan _series. While it has undergone several revisions since completion, I'm afraid I must beg your pardon, readers, for one or two very minor grammar problems I was grappling with at the time. They shouldn't impede your reading (which is why I'm letting them slide), but for those of you who are Grammar Nazis, prepare to have your equilibrium unsettled somewhat.

**Bakugan: The War of Starsector**

A Bakugan Fanfiction

_"No matter how random things may appear, there's always a plan."_

—Hannibal Smith, _The A-Team (2010 remake)_

**Prologue – Of Fate**

The unknown gurus of a planet long lost within the turning of past seasons say that one final act of awe-inspiring (and slightly insane) faith can change the universe as we know it.

There was once an ancient race of beings who were not so very different from humans, known as the people of the Starsector, or 'Staryans', who believed that this was true. The people of the Starsector may have been similar to humans in appearance, but in many ways they were much wiser (with the exception of the teenage population). They lived in a dimension known as Starsector—hence their name. They believed that no matter what others may say, no two events are coincidental. Everything, regardless of how much evidence there may appear to be to the contrary, is all a part of Fate.

Everything is planned.

Nothing is accidental.

Good will triumph over evil in the end.

So, when a rift was opened between Starsector and Vestroia, and thousands of Bakugan were transported into the Starsector dimension, it didn't surprise any of the people. They believed the phenomenon to be the work of Fate, altering destiny as He sees fit.

The true people of the Starsector died out nearly a century before the Rise of Naga, but their legends live on in their descendants, and this is the most renowned legend of them all...

**A/N: **I would also like to point out that the whole "Fate" thing you're going to be encountering throughout this story is not a religion but a set of cultural beliefs among Staryans almost like superstition, or traditional legends. I daresay a number of Staryans _are _religious, but for the most part not fanatically so, which is how they would look if the "Fate" thing _were _a religion.


	2. Chapter One: Claws Furiously Burning

**A/N: **Sorry for the hideously long chapters, too. This thing used to be divided into about 200 chapters, each only 500-2000 words. But I condensed it into 40 chapters, so now they're all several thousand words long, I'm afraid.

**PART I:**

**BEGINNING OF THE MYSTERY...**

**Chapter One – Claws Furiously Burning**

_The Bakugan's gleaming red eyes stared into my green eyes, as if they were trying to burn through my soul..._

_I returned its gaze evenly, trying to concentrate on planning my next move. I selected a card and raised it to the sky._

"_Ability—Activate! Claws Furiously Burning!" I screamed, slamming my card to the floor even as it glowed red and jets of fire grew out of my claws... _My_claws? I looked at my hands in horror. What had happened to them? They were big—scaly—dangerous weapons— Danger— DANGER TO MY OPPONENT..._

_Grinning with a blood-lust that shocked me even as I relished the feeling, I leaped towards my opponent and sank my flaming claws into its flesh..._

_Blood spilled everywhere, turning the ground around us to a deep scarlet which seemed almost to reflect the anger I felt, though I had no real cause for it... I inhaled the smell of gore and leered with pleasure...then I put out my fangs and dug them into the dying Bakugan's neck..._

_What is happening to me? I have become a monster! I am killing the creatures I swore to protect! Somebody, _help_ me!_

_I looked up and saw another Bakugan flying down to attack me. I screamed at it in rage, for I had no wings and couldn't jump high enough to catch it. Even as I tried to swipe at it with my claws, it shot an overwhelming blast of darkness at me. The shadows enveloped me, and I tried to call for help, but all that came out was a terrible, screeching cry, like that of a wounded animal..._

_I was being consumed by the darkness... Suddenly, I saw a brilliant white light coming towards me and..._

I woke up, shivering and covered in sweat. Hastily, I jumped out of bed and checked myself in the mirror. An ordinary boy with a pointed face, blonde hair and green eyes stared back at me. No claws. No fangs. Tentatively, I spoke. "Hullo?"

"Been talking to yourself again, Phyra? It's a wonder anyone will be seen with you these days, for who wants it known they spend time in the company of a loony?" I turned around and saw Jack grinning at me.

Jack was a Haos Brawler, fifteen years old—the same age as me—with dark, wavy brown hair over the top of which he wore a pair of flashy but rather useless goggles, and bright blue eyes. He was descended distantly from nobility (his father being the Duke of Reim's seventh nephew or something like that), was about a foot shorter than me, never stopped talking and was about as big a nigel as fifteen-year-olds get. His guardian Bakugan, Haos Dread Ripper, was slightly less talkative, but more prone to sarcasm.

Jack was also one of the strangest people I knew, and worked hard to make sure I remembered that. For example, while most people wore sneakers of varying types, Jack preferred to wear combat boots of a hideous shade of green. This was odd enough by itself, but on special occasions, he actually bedecked them with fake "bling", strings of tiny flashing lights and on a few memorable occasions, false moustaches. Having said all this, I felt a kind of amused affection for him, though I still liked to tease him.

"You're in a fine mood today. Did Kate finally agree to join with you in a state of itemship?" I returned, smirking as he blushed slightly. "Not that I would encourage such cavorting and canoodling at your age, mark you."

"Is it too much to ask for you to drop the subject?" Jack complained. "Surely you've got better things to talk about than _my_ petty affairs."

"Not _those _kinds of affairs, I hope." I said roguishly, before adding, "Actually, I _have _got more important matters to discuss, like whether you're going to grow up a bit for the trials today so you can have some hope of being picked for an assignment in the near future. You know, before you're fifty."

Dread Ripper sniggered, but was silenced with an iron glare from his ever-amusing Brawler, who then sighed and said, "Alright, you win. By the bye, is that yours?"

"Is what mine?" I asked, running a comb through my mass of amazing spiky golden hair.

"Yonder object beneath that article of furniture." he answered a trifle testily, pointing to something that was glittering under my bed. I bent down and picked it up. It was an Ability card. "'Claws Furiously Burning'. How perturbing... I've never heard of that one before." Jack remarked. I didn't hear him, for I was too stunned to do anything but stare numbly.

"This Ability card—it was in my dream! I dreamed about this card last night!" I exclaimed at last, groping for my can of spray-on conditioner (I'll be the first to admit I was a bit vain, but hey—I was a fifteen-year-old boy, and nobody's perfect).

Jack looked at me in a peculiar way before answering bluntly, "Marry, sir, that may seem all mystic and wonderful...but that's a _Pyrus_ Ability, and as you know, all the Pyrus Bakugan died out during the Hydranoid War. Put it away somewhere, therefore, and let us consume some victuals before heading off to the practise arena."

I was only listening subconsciously as I applied the conditioner with one hand and examined the card with the other. This Ability had a diagram of a Pyrus Fear Ripper etched on it, and seemed to give your Pyrus Bakugan 200G-Power while decreasing the G-Power of each of your opponent's Bakugan by 200 and nullifying their Ability. As Jack sauntered out of my room, I sighed and put the card inside a box that was kept in one of my drawers, along with a few other treasures of mine.

I'd heard many stories about the mighty Pyrus Bakugan, and I had always longed for one...but around a century ago, before the Bakugan came to the Starsector dimension, the Hydranoids had banded together in an insane attempt to take over Vestroia. A huge war was started that had lasted many years, during which all the Darkus, Haos, Aquos, Ventus and Subterra Bakugan had fled from their territories as the Hydranoids attacked. These five Attribute groups had later joined forces and subdued the Hydranoids, but not before the Pyrus Bakugan had all been killed, for they were the only Bakugan who'd attempted to defend their territory.

Of course, the Pyrus Hydranoids might have survived, only they, after witnessing what was done to their Pyrus fellows (and apparently _some_ subdued dregs of honour left within them), rebelled against the rest of the Hydranoids and were slaughtered for their mutiny before the war was finally ended by the rest of the Bakugan.

All this had happened about a century ago, as I said, and most people had all but forgotten that the Pyrus Bakugan had ever had a part to play in Vestroia's history. I, however, had always wished that they had survived. Without them, I felt, things were somehow not complete.

I was broken out of my thoughts suddenly by Jack poking his head through the door and yelling at me to hurry up. Hastily I pulled on my clothes, laced up my shoes and, running through the door, raced him to the mess hall. Thanks to my longer legs and general superiority, I won.

"You can smile all you like for the moment, sonny." Jack grumbled good-naturedly as we made for our favourite chairs amid the usual hubbub and chaos that we Bakugan Brawler Squad cadets liked to call _breakfast time_. "But I'll have your guts for garters if you beat me again."

"Ho yuss, Jack." said Dread Ripper, with a smirk and the hint of an affected accent, "you'll beat Phyra eventually...if you eat more sprouts."

"Oh, spare us all from the abomination wrought by those—those..._blackguard greens!_" moaned Jack, putting up his hands as though to fend off a blow.

A loud outburst of wolf-whistling broke out as from the kitchens emerged Rosie, our plump, busty, twenty-something-year-old waitress. She ignored the immaturity and began to serve out large plates of omelettes with chocolate sauce (one of the cook's _specialities_ and much nicer than it sounds).

I'd never seen much in Rosie, I must admit, but I had to admire how aloof she could be at the unwanted attention she got from a vast multitude of drooling teenage boys thrice a day. Joel O'Connell leaned over from another table and gave her a dapper smile as she passed us. Rosie feigned disinterest, as was the norm, but I noticed her blushing slightly as she gave me and Jack our breakfasts.

Kate came into the hall at that moment and sat next to us while we started to tuck in, looking somewhat disapproving—as all the girls did whenever Rosie made an appearance. At Kate's arrival, Jack grinned foolishly at nothing in particular

Kate was seventeen years old. She had long red hair which she often wore tied back, and dancing brown eyes. Her parents ran some obscure business up in the Northern Arm. She was taller than both of us, often teasing, and lots of fun. She was also fairly outspoken, enjoyed a good argument, and if you knew her as well as we did, you'd know that she was afraid of clowns, liked insects and generally despised anything despicable.

Kate's guardian Bakugan, Ventus Beam Gryphonoid, was rather old, but still had some fire in him. He was full of wise sayings and mysterious advice which everyone ignored, and he often referred to a dubious object called "the Rune of Scrabulus", only no one ever knew what he was talking about, and he never elaborated. If you had been fortunate enough to make my acquaintance in those days, I'd have given you one tip: never make him angry. EVER.

"Hi boys, ready for the big day today?" Kate said affably (once Rosie had left and all was well again from the feminine viewpoint), with a smile that made Jack fall off his bench. He got up at once, blushing and stammering garbled apologies as we both stared, biting back fits of laughter.

"So far as I can tell, we're ready. Ten to one _nobody_ will be able to beat us after all the training we've been doing." I replied, sounding more assured than I felt.

"Well, good luck to you both." Kate grinned, clearly amused.

"It is written," murmured Gryphonoid, "that the over-confident will fall into the mighty pit of—"

"Oh, _pipe_ down, you old codger." Dread Ripper butted in. Jack was no longer paying attention to any of us (which was a first, as far as Kate was concerned). He was staring over at the other end of the breakfast hall. "Hearken unto me, mortals. Do you know any of those cadets?" he asked, sounding uncharacteristically on edge all of a sudden.

Kate and I turned to see. Four cadets had entered the big hall and were looking around slowly, as though trying to find something—or perhaps because there were aware that it gave them an awe-inspiring aura. I didn't recognise anyone there. "Nope. I don't know who they are." said Kate, gazing intently at them. "By the looks of them, they're new here...but that's rather rum. Admissions aren't until next term."

I looked more carefully at the group. The leader seemed to be a tall boy of about Kate's age with longish dark hair and piercing blue eyes. His expression was unreadable. A dark wooden baton hung from his belt, which was, to say the least, not par for the course.

The others in the pack consisted of a heavily-built boy with long blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, hazel eyes, big muscles and a wide grin, a small, skinny boy with short mousy-brown hair, grey eyes and a somewhat serious expression—both of these were, by my best of best guesses, around my age—and a girl who looked a bit younger than the rest of them (though she seemed quite tall for her age because she wore a pair of outrageous platform shoes), with golden-brown hair which she wore down to her shoulders, queer, dark eyes and a distrusting gaze.

All four cadets wore the standard uniform: dark blue jeans and a rugby top in the colour of their Attribute. That doesn't sound like much of a uniform, I know. Cadets had to wear a blazer, shirt, tie and awful pinstriped trousers—or knee-length skirts if they were a girl—at first, but a battalion of brats started a riot several years before my own dramatic admission into the BBS and forcibly convinced the squadmasters to let us, the uncivilised rabble, wear a more casual uniform.

Back on topic. I could see the leader of the group was a Darkus Brawler, the large boy Subterra, the serious boy Aquos and the girl Ventus. As I turned back to face Jack and Kate, I caught the leader staring at me shrewdly. He had seen me staring at him, and had probably come to the conclusion that I was a rude little sod—which, to be fair, I probably was.

"They look like a right bunch of peasants," I said disinterestedly. "D'you want to go and introduce ourselves nonetheless?"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Jack's sudden cry severely startled me and several other cadets who were sitting nearby. Kate and I suddenly became very interested in our food. When the cadets nearest to us had resumed their conversations, Jack spoke to me and Kate in a low voice. "Look," he muttered, "I'm sorry for yelling, but there's something I don't like about the boy with the black hair. Something..._sinister_."

Kate and I exchanged exasperated glances. Jack had an annoying flair for dramatics. His constant quoting and storybook phrases made us want to strangle him sometimes. But my irritation was only half-hearted this time: there was something_ I_ didn't like about that boy either, and it wasn't just my ego speaking. I wasn't about to tell that to Jack, though, so I shrugged and finished off my omelette, saying, "Well, come on then, Jack. If we want to get in any practise before the trials begin, we'd better make a bolt for the arena. Coming, Kate?"

"Absence of the power within makes for hard work, but presence of the power within makes for hard leisure." Gryphonoid remarked sagely.

"Git." grunted Dread Ripper.

Kate grinned. "Sorry guys, but I've got better things to do than waste my time at the arena." she said cheerfully. "Like partying with my contemporaries, and, er...well, that's it, actually. Besides, it's not like I need the practise anyway. I'm already better than the majority of you sad little commoners."

Jack and I ignored that last bit, though we both knew it was true. Kate was a laureate of sorts, one of the BBS's most talented Brawlers. She'd won several awards and undertaken the kinds of operations we _commoners _(read: 'cadets of no particular distinction') had only ever dreamed about.

As I was reflecting on this, I turned to go down the stairs to the practise arena and saw the strange black-haired boy looking at me again. That unblinking, impenetrable gaze of his was now starting to unnerve me in earnest. The next thing I knew, I'd entered the arena and all thoughts of him were driven from my mind.

I gazed around the big room, and a wonderful feeling of peace and contentment spread over me like it always did when I came here. I was a Brawler at heart, and battling was my favourite thing to do above all else. A pointless grin broke out on my face as I walked over to my locker and picked up my BakuPod, deck and clip. And my favourite lucky black cap, of course.

Rummaging through my case, I picked out two Darkus Bakugan and one Subterra Bakugan. I was a dual Attribute Brawler, and as such, my top was black with a brown stripe down the front. You didn't get many dual Attribute Brawlers, since most of us Staryans preferred to specialise in just one Attribute style, but I felt most comfortable when combining the strengths of two.

As I pulled on my fingerless gloves and strapped on my BakuPod, I heard Jack calling me. "How now, peasant? Art thou ready to match thy wits with mine?"

"Sure thing, Jack!" I answered blithely.

"Field—Open!" we called out, each holding up a Gate Card. I felt my card's power being released as the arena was replaced with a huge dome of shining multicoloured energy: the Bakugan Field.

"Gate Card—Set!" Jack yelled, throwing out a Gate Card which landed and swelled to a huge size, glowing gold while it did so.

"Gate Card—Set!" I replied as I tossed out my own Gate Card, which glowed purple and also expanded. "Your move, Jack." I called, looking though my cards.

"Right you are, deary. Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Haos Grim Reaper!" he cried, as a brilliant white and gold Bakugan stood on his card, flashing brightly while it transformed. Holding my hand in front of my face to block out the glare, I could dimly make out a Reaper variant, hooded and robed, with many layers of material draped all over his body. His scythe was twice the size of that of a regular Reaper. His eyes glowed red.

I looked at my BakuPod, which showed Grim Reaper to be at 500G-Power. In those early days, that was quite high for a Bakugan, but I wasn't worried. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Pythonoid!" I said loudly, showing more power than I felt.

A dark vortex appeared on my card, and out of it came a huge snake-like Bakugan, with spines running down its back and huge fangs that dripped venom. It was bigger than a Serpenoid, its variant. Its power level was stable at 400.

"Ability—Activate! Crushing Coils!" I shouted, raising my Ability card to the heavens as it glowed purple, just like my Gate had.

Pythonoid lunged out with his tail, spikes embedding themselves in Grim Reaper's flesh as the serpent wrapped his coils around the Haos Bakugan. Reaper screamed in pain while Pythonoid dragged him over to my card. I checked my BakuPod and saw that the unfortunate Haos had lost 50Gs.

"Gate Card—Open!" I commanded, raising my hand as my Gate Card glowed—brilliant white this time—and the text became visible. "Dark Coils! This Gate Card raises the Gs of my Pythonoid by 100 for each 50Gs your Bakugan was ahead by when Pythonoid was thrown. If your Bakugan is Haos, it loses G-Power equal to the amount my Pythonoid gains."

Black tentacles grew out of the Gate and wrapped themselves around Reaper, squeezing the power out of him. Jack and I watched our BakuPod screens as Reaper's Gs went down to 250, and Pythonoid's went up to 600.

"Finish him _now_, Pythonoid!" I cried triumphantly.

"Now, Treebeard, don't be hasty. Ability—Activate! Lighting Switch!" returned Jack, holding up a card of his own. "This Ability swaps the Gs of the Bakugan in the battle, so long as your Bakugan is at least 300Gs ahead!" I stared in horror as lightning bolts crackled up above our heads. Grim Reaper's Power Level went back up to 600, while Pythonoid's dropped to 250. Jack grinned. "Never underestimate the power of Haos, Phyra! Grim Reaper, sally forth and attack the blighter!" he ordered with a dramatic sweep of his hand.

I could only stand and watch numbly as Grim Reaper lunged at Pythonoid, swinging his scythe as he moved in for the final stroke. Then something clicked in me, and I pulled out another card. "Ability—Activate! Dark Stone Help!" I called. I checked my clip and saw my Subterra Bakugan glow orange and fly over to the Gate Card. "If I have a Darkus Bakugan, this Ability allows me to put another of my Bakugan into the battle." I stated. "If the new Bakugan is Subterra, it gains 100Gs."

I watched the little orange sphere land on the Gate Card and transform. "Stand, Subterra Mercenary Gorem!" I cried, as my Bakugan rose to tower high above the other two. It wore a suit of armour and a brown cloak, and carried a huge sword and shield. I monitored my BakuPod closely as it stood with 400Gs and then gained another 100.

"Fusion Ability—Activate! Dark Mutation Recover!" I added, holding up a shining card and throwing it over to the Field floor. It landed on the Gate Card, sending bright rainbow ripples coursing over the ground. "This card lets me retrieve all the Abilities I played since my last roll* if I win, and I get the option to swap them out with any other Ability cards I have in my collection." I said, as Mercenary Gorem and Pythonoid attacked Grim Reaper.

Jack couldn't do anything but watch while Grim Reaper was forced backwards into ball form and thrown to the ground at his feet. Meanwhile, I caught Mercenary Gorem and Pythonoid as the card disappeared and they, too, changed to ball form and flew back to me. I then looked at the Ability cards I had recovered. After some thought, I decided to swap both of them for new Abilities from my stash. Then I remembered something.

"I also forgot to mention Mercenary Gorem's innate ability," I added. "Whenever I win a battle with him, I get to recover any Ability cards I played after he stood!" So saying, I took back the Fusion Ability I had used. "Your move again, Jack!" I called.

"Alright, take this: Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Haos Cybertallion!" he yelled as he pitched a glowing gold sphere onto his card, which then transformed into a huge robot.

"You consider that Marvin a threat?" I laughed. "You put us all to shame, Sir Jack of the Thick Table. Observe! Gate Card—Set! Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Subterra Mercenary Gorem!"

My Mercenary Gorem rose on Jack's card opposite Cybertallion. "Now, Ability—Activate!" I added. "Mud Slide!" The Gate Cards were switched so that Mercenary Gorem and Cybertallion were now on my card. "Gate Card—Open! Quartet Battle!" I shouted, while Pythonoid was pulled from my clip and stood on the Gate.

Meanwhile, Jack's last remaining Bakugan also flew from his clip and rose on the Gate to reveal... "Stand, Haos Dread Ripper!" Jack proclaimed, as his guardian was revealed in Bakugan form: a huge gold and white monster with giant, razor-sharp claws that were bigger even than Gorem's sword.

"Get ready to feel my wrath!" roared Dread Ripper, dancing comically about like a boxer. My BakuPod stated that he was at 520G-Power: in those days, the most powerful Bakugan I'd ever seen. Furthermore, when you combined his 520Gs with Cybertallion's 450Gs, they made a formidable force against Pythonoid and Mercenary Gorem, who only had 400G-Power each. However, I still had a trick up my sleeve.

"Ability—Activate!" I cried. "Darkus Subterra Fusion! This Ability card combines the powers of two Attributes. If I have both Subterra and Darkus at the battle, you can't play any Abilities and each of my Bakugan gain 50Gs for every Bakugan in play!"

Even as I was saying this, Pythonoid was enveloped in darkness, while Mercenary Gorem's armour grew a stone coating over the top of it. Each then gained 200Gs for a whopping total of 1200 G-Power. To my surprise—and slight apprehension—Jack didn't seen bothered. In fact, he was smiling. In a normal situation, this would have been perfectly normal, but this wasn't a normal situation, so it wasn't normal at all, and I was very properly concerned as a result.

"I sussed you'd pull that move, Mister Old-Hat." said Jack. "Prepare to clap eyes on my newest ace! Ability—Activate! Haos Power Overload! This rare Ability card can be played _regardless_ of any restrictions that are placed by card effects. It increases the G-Power of each of my Bakugan by 100 for each Haos Bakugan on the Field, _and_ decreases the Gs of each of my opponent's Bakugan by the same amount!"

A brilliant white light filled the Field, and we both watched our BakuPods as Jack's total Power Level rose to an amazing 1370 and mine descended to 800.

Jack could have knocked me over with a feather. How in the world had he got hold of an Ability card as powerful as that? I looked questioningly at him, but he only winked—in a fashion that was not at all seductive, I hasten to add—as Dread Ripper and Cybertallion attacked Mercenary Gorem and Pythonoid viciously, causing them to return to ball form and fly off the card to land at my feet. Meanwhile, the card vanished and Jack reached out to catch Dread Ripper and Cybertallion as they changed to ball form and flew into his hands.

I looked down at my one remaining Bakugan. "Okay, mate. It's up to you to win this for me." I whispered to him. I could have sworn I heard a tiny voice replying to me, but I couldn't hear what it said, and now wasn't the time for getting distracted.

Jack tossed out his Bakugan, saying, "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Haos Cybertallion!"

I watched his Cybertallion rise on his Gate card, and then I threw my own Bakugan, yelling, "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Ultra Siege!"

My Bakugan flew onto the Field to land on Jack's card, where it transformed into a huge, cloaked knight in a set of gleaming black armour. He wielded an enormous staff that had a glowing ball of purple crystal attached to the top. Said ball crackled with electricity. I looked at my BakuPod. Jack's Cybertallion was at 450G-Power and my Ultra Siege was at 500G-Power. _So far, so good._

Jack just grinned and raised his hand. "Gate Card—Open!" he commanded. His Gate Card glowed white and opened. Hastily checking my BakuPod, I saw that his Cybertallion had gained 250Gs. I looked at my remaining Ability cards and saw my move.

"Ability—Activate!" I called. "Shadow Lash! Fusion Ability—Activate! Dark Mutation Recover!"

I glanced first at my BakuPod, which showed that Cybertallion had lost the 250 bonus, then at Jack, hoping he didn't have a counter. Evidently he didn't, because he just shrugged as Cybertallion was hurled into ball form and tossed out of the battle. The card disappeared and I caught Ultra Siege. I then exchanged my recovered Shadow Lash for another card and waited for Jack to make his move.

"Gate Card—Set!" he cried, hurling his Gate card into the space between us, where it glowed and swelled to match all earlier Gates in size. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Haos Dread Ripper!"

The little golden sphere rolled onto his card and transformed to reveal Dread Ripper, who leered and flexed his huge claws, saying, "Haircut, anyone?"

_Could it be our dimension has been stricken by some kind of universal disease which turns an inordinate amount of people into _really _bad stand-up comedians? _I wondered, before calculating my move and throwing out my Bakugan, calling as I did so, "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Ultra Siege!" My Ultra Siege rose up next to Dread Ripper and flourished his staff menacingly.

I waited for Jack to open his Gate Card. This he did, saying, "Gate Card—Open! Banish Shadows! This Gate card transforms any Darkus Bakugan at the battle to Haos, and reduces their G-Power by 100!" Sure enough, Ultra Siege turned white and gold and my BakuPod showed that he was down to 400Gs. Jack wasn't finished yet, either. "Ability—Activate!" he continued. "Power Transfer! Fusion Ability—Activate! Magnify! Power Transfer takes 100Gs from your Bakugan and transfers it to mine. Then Magnify _doubles_ the effect of my Ability!"

Ultra Siege trembled as energy was sucked out of his body to be absorbed into Dread Ripper's. I looked calmly at my BakuPod, which showed that Ultra Siege was now down to 200G-Power and Dread Ripper was up to 720G-Power. Then I pulled out my final Ability card and smiled, saying, "You've used this Gate on me before, Jack, so I came prepared this time. Ability—Activate! Lightning Switch!"

Jack's triumphant grin slid off his face in an instant, and a look of unbelieving shock took its place as lightning flashed from the sky once more, the Bakugan swapped G-Powers, and Ultra Siege dealt Dread Ripper an enormous blow ("Ouch!" wailed Dread Ripper), sending him back to ball form and into the dust. I caught Ultra Siege and grinned at Jack as both Gate and Field disappeared and the arena reappeared around us.

"Nice game, Phyra." Jack managed to get out at last. He was smiling, though he still looked a bit stunned.

"You too, Jack. That'd have to be the first time I've ever beaten you." I replied with a wry grin. We were broken out of our moment of good sportsmanship and other sappy things when a voice from across the arena rang out abruptly, catching our attention. "So," it queried, "practising for the trials, are we?"

We both whirled around to see the strange black-haired boy and his friends looking at us. "What are you doing here, skulking about and making dramatic entrances?" demanded Jack, trying to hide the fact that he'd been severely startled. "That's _my _job!"

"Sorry about that. You know how we immigrants are." the boy replied with a lazy smile. "But perhaps that's not the most PC joke around. As regards your question, one of the masters sent us down here to tell any stragglers that trials are about to begin."

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Ah, yes, allow us to introduce ourselves in the poshest way possible." said he. "My name is Kyros Jarvis III, and these are my friends: Benjamin Uppercut—" He indicated the blonde, muscular boy, who smiled. "Nicholas Harbinger—" He pointed to the serious boy, who nodded. "And Rianna Thorn." He motioned to the girl, who merely frowned at us.

I smiled at them in the charming-but-annoying way that Jack and Kate were perpetually lecturing me about, and stepped forward to return the introduction. "Hullo," I said in a tone which—to my ears at least—sounded suitably suave. "I'm Phyra Vyander and this is Jack Archer." I offered Kyros my hand. He shook it, but didn't return the smile. On the contrary, I thought for just a fleeting second that his eyes flashed, as though a spark of recognition had flared up in them. The next moment, however, the spark was gone, and I decided I was imagining things.

"Listen, are you two planning on coming up to trials any day now, or were you going to leave that until _after _you've developed this arena into a three-star resort?" Kyros asked, turning cold all of a sudden.

"Of course. " I returned easily, trying not to show that I was hurt at his sudden unfriendliness. "Not a lot else for we untalented folk to do just now—apart from study, eat, smuggle alcohol and generally annoy the crap out of people."

Jack gave me a sideways look as we ascended the stairs, but I pretended not to notice. I was trying to figure out why I felt so bad about being snubbed by someone I didn't even know. Or _did _I know him? Why did it seem as though _he'd_ known _me_ from somewhere? I then remembered the strange dream I'd had the night before, and how I had found that Pyrus Ability card under my bed. What could all this possibly mean? Things like that didn't just happen any old time, save in low-budget sci-fi soap operas. I wished I knew what Fate had in mind here. Then Jack nudged me and I realised we'd arrived at the Stadium. Trials were about to begin.

There were several hundred cadets in the Bakugan Brawler Squad. All of us were aged fourteen to eighteen years and most of us were pretty hyperactive about ninety-five percent of the time. The last bloke who'd had a birthday party invited every single cadet in the BBS to attend. Nobody had slept for thirty-six hours and seventy percent of the BBS had suffered a decrease in grades for several weeks.

The BBS was something like a military boarding school. It was stationed in the northeast sect of the Central Octagon, and was used for training young Staryans to brawl. Most of the top graduates ended up in the Royal Staryan Army. Staryans and Bakugan are a powerful force when united, so, soon after the Bakugan appeared in our dimension just after the Great Fusion, the king made a deal with them: in exchange for their loyalty and partnership, we would protect them from the various dangers of our dimension—the most notable of which included but were not limited to plasma phantoms, ball-lightning beasts and of course, the sworn enemies of the people of the Starsector, the Sektarii.

In the beginning, as has been known or at any rate hypothesised for centuries, the dimension of Starsector actually used to be two different dimensions: the Starlight dimension, and the Shadowsector dimension. Two opposite dimensions, one light, and one dark. They revolved through the aether side by side, attracted to each other the way two opposite poles of a magnet are attracted to each other—though they were held apart by a powerful void barrier, and so never touched. The people of the Starsector originally came from the Starlight dimension, sometimes called the "Celestial Land", and the Sektarii from the Shadowsector dimension, sometimes called the "Uncelestial And Also Very Dark Land".

Then, around the time the Golden Celestial Age ended, the barrier between the two opposite dimensions was shattered and the dimensions were fused, held together by their attraction: the Star, where we resided, in the centre of the Sector—the Sektarii territory. In between these two hostile elements lay the no-man's land, known as the Outer Rim. Beyond the Sector was nothing but the Endless Void, separated from the edge of the Sector only by a thin layer of atmosphere.

No one knew why this had happened. No one knew what sort of power could have broken the void barrier, but we believed that this was what caused the rift to be opened between Vestroia and the newly-formed Starsector dimension, in turn bringing the first of the Bakugan through about a century before my own fascinating story began.

I digress, however. To get back to the point, trials were monthly brawling tournaments held to see which cadets were experienced enough to take on various assignments for the BBS. Usually the semi-finalists were considered for admission to the Advanced Squad—that is, the elite group of Brawlers who were sent off on the most difficult assignments.

Neither Jack nor I had ever made it far enough to be picked for the Advanced Squad, but Kate had been on it for a couple of years now, and according to her, it was "pree spunky". All the lower ranked cadets looked up to you, and the missions were exciting. Kate got to do stuff like reconnaissance in the Outer Rim to look for possible threats or new types of Bakugan, or to assist in labs to help create new kinds of Gate and Ability cards, or compete in the Annual Best Swaggery Competition For Advanced Cadets Who Consider Themselves To Have Swag. There were even rumours that the king's top scientists (who in a jocose manner called themselves the "Sirius Cybernetics Corporation") were working on a way to get to Vestroia, and the most promising Advanced Cadets—or ACs, as they were called—would get to go on missions there.

One of the best parts, though, was undeniably the spare time. ACs didn't have to do _half_ as much study as regular cadets did. Instead, they got to spend large portions of their academic year practising their brawling, trying out new equipment from the labs, drinking tea and generally being awesome. Most of them also liked to throw wild all-night parties on weekends, and Master Kerrik regularly handed out free candy-floss to Advanced Cadets who walked past him in the corridors. No wonder it was every cadet's dream to be nominated for the Advanced Squad.

This time, however, I was sure that nomination would cease to be my dream and become my reality, because _I_ was going to win the tournament—not just make the semis, but win the entire thing. Coming far enough to get a chance was good, no doubt about that, but at the end of the day, _everyone _wants the first prize for themselves. In this case I mean that literally, because the first-place winner got a special award. I felt a grin spread over my face as I imagined myself walking forwards to shake hands with all the squadmasters in front of everyone, the sunlight making my hair glitter like— "Oi, you! Get over and join the line!" yelled Squadmaster Gyro.

I realised that I was standing in the middle of the Stadium by myself. All the other cadets had formed a line so the squadmasters could put their names on the roster. Everyone was staring at me, and while I'm sure there were several pretty girls in there somewhere, ready to faint at my incredibly attractive appearance, I tell you solemnly that being ogled by a massive crowd is not a pleasant feeling at all. Reddening, I zipped over to the end of the line. I ignored the cadets who were still staring and giggling until everyone lost interest and started whispering amongst themselves, wondering who was going to win the tournament this month and who would be paired with whom.

Once I had gotten over my embarrassment, I started to relax and go over my strategy. After what seemed like hours, I was called forward to give my name and informed who my first opponent would be.

* * *

"Field—Open!" I shouted, holding up my card. It was finally my turn to brawl.

I had been paired with a short, stocky boy named William Arlven for the first round. He was evidently an Aquos Brawler. I had played against these guys before and I wasn't too worried. I had studied Aquos style extensively after Kate had thrashed me with it the very first time I'd played her. She played with Ventus and Aquos now, which was a tricky combination to beat—but then, I wasn't about to challenge Kate any time soon, no matter _what _Attributes she played with. One day I would defeat her, but right now I had a tournament to win.

I concentrated as the floor of the stadium began to shine with bright energy. Normally the walls would too, but the stadium was specially constructed so that spectators could watch the matches played there.

"Gate Card—Set!" we both yelled, throwing our Gates onto the shining floor.

I motioned for William to begin his turn. "Bakugan Brawl!" he cried, sending a little blue sphere whizzing through the air to land on my Gate. "Stand, Aquos Horrorclaw!" The tiny ball was transformed into a huge blue crustacean which brandished its enormous claws with a menacing air. I checked my BakuPod and saw that it had 250Gs. Clearly, William was planning something. Or perhaps he was just a complete idiot, but I'd learned not to take other people's idiocy for granted.

I looked first at the Bakugan in my clip, then at the cards I had. At first, I was stumped, then an idea struck me, and I quickly chose a Bakugan and hurled it onto William's Gate, shouting, "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Pythonoid!"

The giant black snake stood once more and bared its fangs at the distant Horrorclaw. William looked slightly concerned, but he wasn't about to let that stop him. "Gate Card—Set!" he yelled, sending out a glowing blue card to land next to his other one. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Aquos Hornet Striker!" A big blue bee appeared on his card across from my Pythonoid. Pythonoid hissed slightly at the large insect, who buzzed angrily in the distance. "Ability—Activate! Whirlpool!" added William, his card flashing blue as he raised it in front of him.

There was a collective murmur from the crowd as the floor of the Field was replaced with a huge whirlpool. All the Gates disappeared and my BakuPod showed that it was now Horrorclaw and Hornet Striker versus Pythonoid. William's total Power Level was at 720Gs while mine was at a lousy 400. I had to do something fast, and I knew just the card.

"Ability—Activate! Dark Stone Help!" I called, throwing out another Bakugan. "Stand, Subterra Gryphonoid!"

A large, winged leonine creature appeared, hovering above the whirlpool. My BakuPod showed that it stood with 450Gs, then gained another 100Gs from Dark Stone Help, to boost my total Power Level to 950Gs. I waited to see if William had any counters. He smiled and pulled out a couple of cards.

"Ability—Activate! Tidal Wave!" he said loudly. I grimaced. Tidal Wave allowed any player with an Aquos Bakugan at the battle to add another Aquos Bakugan to the battle. "Stand, Aquos Gorgonoid!" He grinned smugly while a huge wave crashed over the battlefield, bringing with it a winged gargoyle-like creature. "Fusion Ability—Activate! Aqua Multiplier!" He tossed a gleaming blue card into the water, where it created a giant geyser that enveloped all three of his Bakugan. He then went on, "Aqua multiplier allows all Aquos Bakugan at the battle to gain 50Gs for each Bakugan at the battle."

I didn't even bother looking at my BakuPod. I knew I didn't have any counters to that kind of power. Helplessly, I watched as Horrorclaw, Hornet Striker and Gorgonoid closed in on Pythonoid and Gryphonoid and forced them into ball form and onto the ground at my feet.

It was a hard blow to take, but I hadn't given up yet. If anything, I was even more determined to win this match. I looked at William with steel (or was it dandelions?) in my gaze as scattered cheers from other enthusiastic Aquos Brawlers rent the air, along with general clapping and cries of encouragement. We each pulled out another Gate card and threw it across the Field, shouting, "Gate Card—Set!"

The two shining rectangles zipped through the air, to land on the ground and swell to an immense size. Then I pulled out my last Bakugan, steeling myself for battle before hurling it onto my Gate Card. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Ultra Siege!" I cried, as my huge black knight stood with his head held high.

William replied with, "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Aquos Horrorclaw!"

Once more, the giant blue creature landed on my card. William seemed about to play another card, but I was too quick for him, as I pulled out one of my own. "Ability—Activate! Darkus Shutdown! Now you can't play any Ability cards." I said decisively.

A black fog filled the Field and Ultra Siege glowed and gained 100Gs, for a total of 600G-Power. William didn't look too pleased, but he couldn't do anything about it. Siege darted over to Horrorclaw, cloak flying behind him, and sent the huge crustacean to the floor. I caught Ultra Siege as he zipped back to me while the Gate Card vanished behind him. I then threw him over to land on William's card, shouting, "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Ultra Siege!"

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Aquos Hornet Striker!" cried William, as the big blue insect rose to hover above Ultra Siege's head. "Gate Card—Open!"

He gestured with his hand as his Gate Card flashed white and Hornet Striker gained 200Gs. His Power Level was now higher than mine by 170Gs. I had to act quickly, therefore, if I wanted to stay in the game. Whipping out my remaining cards, I held them high and shouted, "Ability—Activate! Power Drain! Fusion Ability—Activate! Dark Mutation Recover!"

I watched impassively while Hornet Striker writhed and squirmed as he was enveloped in an energy field. This field then began to suck the power out of him, while Dark Mutation Recover sent out its ripples of light.

Power Drain is a Darkus Ability card which can only be played if the opponent's Power Level is at least 150Gs higher than yours. When played, the opponent's Power Level is halved. Accordingly, Hornet Striker was now down to 335Gs.

"Ultra Siege, attack!" I screamed. Ultra Siege sprang forward, and Hornet Striker was brutally smashed into ball form and thrown to the floor. I caught Ultra Siege once more and the Gate Card vanished. The score was even at last. I took back my Power Drain and switched it in favour of another card before throwing out my final Gate Card.

"Gate Card—Set!" I called, throwing out my last Gate. It glowed purple as it landed in front of William and expanded to full size. William didn't have any more Gate Cards, so he just shrugged and gestured for me to continue. I gripped Ultra Siege tightly, focusing on what I had to do for a second before hurling him out for the last time. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Ultra Siege!" I cried.

Once more, the big black knight stood and brandished his staff, the ball on top crackling with intimidating intensity. William measured his move carefully before sending his final Bakugan skimming across the floor and flying into Bakugan form. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Aquos Gorgonoid!" he roared, obviously growing desperate now.

The huge demonic figure unfurled its enormous wings and screeched, swiping the air with its sharp claws. My BakuPod showed it to be at 520Gs, which was just 20Gs higher than Ultra Siege. "Gate Card—Open!" I yelled, raising my arm.

The Gate Card flashed white and Ultra Siege gained 250Gs. William took out his final Ability and held it high. "Ability—Activate! Tides of Power!" he shouted. Beams of blue light swirled around the battlefield. I checked my BakuPod and saw that the 250Gs was transferred to Gorgonoid. I felt dizzy. That wasn't Aquos style! I had fallen into the Aquos trap: I had tried to predict William's move and chosen the wrong card.

I looked down at my last Ability card and tried to stop my eyes from filling with tears. Fifteen-year-old boys don't cry over little things like losing a simple game—big girls' blouses not included.

I raised my head and gave a hopeless smile as I shook my head. I didn't have a counter. I saw an elated look take over William's face as he ordered Gorgonoid to attack. I watched Ultra Siege stand tall, ready to take the blow with dignity, just the way a knight would.

I dropped my head in shame. I had failed on the first round. Then I did a double-take. What was happening to my BakuPod? Why was Ultra Siege's Power Level increasing? _Of course... All his battle experience is starting to make him evolve at last! _I thought wildly, as Siege's Power Level went up to 510Gs...520Gs...530Gs!

Gorgonoid swooped in on Ultra Siege and tried to attack, but was thrown aside as the knight fended him off with his staff. Then Ultra Siege looked directly into my eyes...and nodded. I looked at William and raised my Ability to the sky. "Ability—Activate! Nullify!" I cried, as a dark bolt shot down from the sky and smashed my Gate Card to splinters.

Gorgonoid lost the 250Gs and was down to 520 again, but Ultra Siege remained at 530Gs. Gorgonoid screamed in disbelief. Siege took a running leap and smashed him out of the sky with a vicious swipe of his staff. William just stood and gaped as Gorgonoid was sent to ball form and landed at his feet, while the crowd stood up in unison and applauded my steady comeback. I had won.

_*Not counting Bakugan put into battle with a card's effect._


	3. Chapter Two: Sundered Fragments

**Chapter Two – Sundered Fragments**

Three rounds and three devastated opponents later, I was still powering through the tournament. There had been one hundred and twenty-eight Brawlers scheduled for trials today. This meant five rounds, plus the semifinals and the Grand Final. For each round, all the players who hadn't been eliminated yet were divided into pairs, with the winner of each pair proceeding to the next round, and the loser being knocked out of the tournament.

Last month I'd only made it to the third round before losing against a Ventus Brawler. This was the furthest I'd ever come in a tournament, and I was so happy I could've kicked a hole in a drum. I'd seen Jack knocked out in the last round by a Subterra Brawler, and a small part of me felt bad for him, but right now I was too elated to think about that very much. I had to concentrate on winning Round Five.

To my slight anxiety, I saw that I was going to battle Kyros. I hadn't played any other Darkus Brawlers yet, but since I pretty much knew the Attribute inside and out, I reckoned there weren't many surprise moves he could pull on me. So I waved confidently—and regally, being me—at my friends, who were sitting nearby, then pulled out a card as Kyros did the same.

"Field—Open!" we both announced loudly.

"Gate Card—Set!" Kyros said, throwing out his Gate Card, which glowed purple and expanded.

I looked at him for a moment before setting my own Gate. He looked supremely uninterested, and fiddled idly with his belt clasp. What was his beef? He didn't seem to find brawling exciting at all. Brawling was the story of my life—or at least the chapters which mattered—but no matter how many times I battled, I always found the time to appreciate the beauty of the shining dome we played in, and admire the amazing power of the Bakugan. Kyros, on the other hand, was acting as though this was merely a game of _chess_ or something, and that irked me.

_Well_, I thought. _I'll soon show him how exhilarating a battle can be. _"Bakugan Brawl!" I yelled, sending a Bakugan zipping over to my Gate. "Stand, Subterra Mercenary Gorem!" The huge brown monster gazed at Kyros with gleaming eyes that didn't blink. He then raised his giant sword, stepping into a battle stance. Kyros didn't so much as bat an eyelid.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Rattlesnake!" he returned, the tiny ball merely a black streak as it flew onto my Gate to join Mercenary Gorem. It then transformed into a huge black serpent with an armoured head and a rattle on its tail. My BakuPod showed it to be at 450Gs. "Ability—Activate! Dark Seal!" Kyros added, holding his card lazily between two fingers.

A dark, crusty substance spread over my Gate Card and I saw that I couldn't open it. That was evidently not good. I pulled out a card of my own and held it up, saying, "Ability—Activate! Fists of Stone!" Mercenary Gorem's enormous hands turned into monstrous boulders, and with a mighty punch, he shattered the dark coating on the Gate. Kyros' Ability was nullified, and Mercenary Gorem gained 100Gs, for a total Power Level of 500G-Power. "Gate Card—Open!" I commanded, making a gesture with my hand.

Mercenary Gorem gained 200Gs. I looked at Kyros to see if he had any counters hidden on his stylish person. "Fusion Ability—Activate!" he hissed, tossing the card out like a ninja star. "Shadow Overtake! This card changes the Gate's Attribute to Darkus!" His card landed, embedding itself deep into the centre of the card. Eerie darkness poured forth from it like some sort of plague, spreading over the Field and turning the Gate Card from orange to purple. 200Gs was transferred from Mercenary Gorem to Rattlesnake. "Rattlesnake, attack!" said Kyros.

Rattlesnake hissed and wrapped himself around Mercenary Gorem, who struggled vainly against the writhing bonds. They proved too strong, however, and he couldn't move his arms, so his sword was useless. Rattlesnake gave an extra-hard squeeze and he was forced back to ball form and thrown off the Gate, which duly vanished. Rattlesnake also went to ball form and into Kyros' waiting hand.

_Never mind, just focus and the next Gate will be yours. _I told myself, as I chose a Bakugan from my clip. Then I pulled out another Gate Card. "Gate Card—Set!" I cried, as the shining rectangle whizzed over to land next to Kyros'. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Ultra Siege!" I continued, as the big black knight rose on my card.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Strikelash!" replied Kyros, rolling his Bakugan onto his Gate. It transformed into a huge black scorpion, which leered at the distant Ultra Siege.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Mantris!" I called. My giant praying mantis stood on Kyros' Gate, next to Strikelash. "Ability—Activate! Marionette!" I yelled, as energy bolts in the form of glowing purple ropes burst out of Mantris's claws, binding themselves around Ultra Siege and lifting him onto Kyros' Gate. My total Power Level was now at 870Gs, while Kyros' was at 380.

"Gate Card—Open! Shadow Swap! Now our Power Levels have been switched and Strikelash gains 100Gs! " A slight ripple of interest ran through the spectators at this announcement. That was a pretty tough situation, but I was prepared for something like that.

"Ability—Activate! Nullify! Fusion Ability—Activate! Dark Mutation Recover!" I flashed Kyros another of my charming-but-annoying smiles as his Gate was nullified and the Power Levels returned to normal. Several people cheered, and one random yelled out something that earned him a sharp telling-off from Squadmaster Daenguard.

Kyros just yawned as Ultra Siege and Mantris charged and sent Strikelash to the ground. I caught Mantris and Ultra Siege, then decided to swap out my recovered Marionette Ability for another. I held on to Nullify, though, as it came in handy pretty regularly. Then I waited for Kyros to take his turn.

"Bakugan Brawl!" he hissed, sending his Bakugan flying onto my Gate. "Stand, Darkus Rattlesnake!"

The huge black serpent rose up on my Gate Card once more, hissing at me. I knew that it was pretty powerful, but I was fairly reassured that I could take it on. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand Darkus Mantris!" I shouted. The big black insect appeared on my Gate and reared up on its hind legs to claw wildly at Rattlesnake, which blocked most of the blows with its armoured head. Kyros looked at me and raised an eyebrow. What kind of game was I playing, using a Bakugan that was 80Gs lower than his? I wasn't sure of the answer to that question myself, but my instincts were telling me what to do, and I had learned to trust my instincts. "Gate Card—Open! Unstable Vortex!" I cried.

This Gate Card wasn't very well-known, as most Brawlers considered it too unreliable for regular use, but I had found it helpful on plenty of occasions. Normally, it drains the G-Power of all battling Bakugan to zero—but if all the Bakugan at the battle are the same Attribute, then it only drains the Bakugan with the highest G-Power...unless of course, all the Bakugan shared the same Attribute _and_ G-Power, in which case nothing happens. You can see (unless you're blind, in which case you shouldn't be reading this) why not many people used it, but since it often give me the element of surprise, I utilised it a great deal whenever I played Darkus or Subterra Brawlers.

Sure enough, Kyros' bored expression was speedily replaced with angry disbelief as our BakuPods showed Rattlesnake's Power Level dropping down to zero, while Mantris's remained at 370Gs. Kyros apparently wasn't going to counter, because he just glared at me as Mantris scuttled over to the helpless Rattlesnake and, with a powerful slice of its wicked claws, sent it flying off the Gate and onto the floor at Kyros' feet.

I smiled to myself, confident that I had Kyros where I wanted him. Now all I had to do was beat his last Bakugan and I was on to the semifinals! But as it turned out, Kyros wasn't about to give this one up so easily. "Gate Card—Set!" he roared, all appearances of boredom forgotten.

"Gate Card—Set!" I returned, flinging my card out as hard as I could.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Thunder Skyress!" yelled Kyros, as a magnificent winged creature resembling a phoenix descended from the sky above my Gate Card. I hadn't seen a Bakugan like that before, though I had heard of the mighty Skyress lineage. "Do you believe you can defeat me? Come try, then!" she cried in a powerful, resonating voice.

Quickly forming a plan, I flicked a Bakugan out onto my Gate, crying out as I did so, "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Mantris!"

The huge black insect flailed its claws at Thunder Skyress and screeched with fury as she beat her enormous wings, forming a powerful gust that kept it at bay. I saw to my amazement that Thunder Skyress had a devastating 540Gs. How on Starsector had Kyros managed to get a Bakugan with an insane Power Level like that? The Brawlers seated around the stadium were remarking on this a fair bit too, by the sounds of it. But now was not the time to be getting distracted.

"Ability—Activate! Power Drain!" I shouted, raising my Ability to the sky. It flashed purple and Thunder Skyress's Power Level dropped to 270Gs. And I wasn't going to stop there, either. "Gate Card—Open! Surging Strength! This card boosts the Power Level of the stronger Bakugan by 400Gs!" I called triumphantly as Mantris glowed with energy, his Power Level increasing to 770G-Power.

Kyros didn't look particularly impressed, though, as he whipped out a card of his own. "Ability—Activate! Chaos Shutdown!" he yelled. Suddenly, pink lightning flashed from the sky. Green clouds gathered and poured purple rain. A cyan light shone through it all, creating a black rainbow. It was as if...as if...the weather had gone _haywire! _There came a few instances of scattered laughter from the spectators at this point. "This card is unique to a few particular Darkus Bakugan." Kyros announced with a smarmy smirk. "It nullifies all effects of Ability and Gate Cards at the battle, and prevents any further cards from taking effect!"

A bright white meteor came down and smashed the Gate Card to smithereens. I was completely, wholly, entirely, utterly, and all other 'ly' words gobsmacked. I had never _heard_ of that card. No one I had ever played had used anything remotely similar! I couldn't do anything but watch while Thunder Skyress beat her mighty wings once more and Mantris was enveloped by a raging whirlwind, which swept him off the Gate Card and into ball form, where he dropped like a corpse to the ground.

So it was all down to the final match: guardian versus guardian. _Very well. Let it be that way if it must,_ I thought to myself, as I grasped Ultra Siege with hands that wouldn't stop shaking, trying to gather myself for the upcoming ordeal, which my mind, in its state of stress, had turned into something far more dreadful than it actually was. I took a deep breath, straightened up, and whispered to Ultra Siege, "No matter what happens, mate, you got me this far. Thanks."

"Don't thank me, Phyra." he replied softly. "I'm just doing what I was born to do. Or at least what I think I was born to do, anyway."

Had it been any other day, I'd have been startled, as this was the first time he'd ever spoken to me properly. But talking Bakugan weren't that uncommon, and I was too nervous right now to be surprised at things like that. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Ultra Siege!" I screamed, hurling Ultra Siege high and fast through the air. He landed on Kyros' Gate and rose up into Bakugan form, a majestic knight once more.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Thunder Skyress!" yelled Kyros, as the black sphere landed and Thunder Skyress appeared for the second time, roaring the same challenge as before. She was more powerful than Ultra Siege by 10Gs, but Ultra Siege had backbone like no other Bakugan I'd ever encountered before. As Skyress swooped in for the attack, he managed to fend her off with his staff, though I could see he was struggling slightly against her power advantage.

"Character Card—Open! Skyress!" commanded Kyros. I could see he was sweating heavily, and I knew I couldn't have been much better. I also noted that Thunder Skyress's Power Level had doubled, but before she could smash Ultra Siege into oblivion, I took out my last Ability card.

"Ability—Activate! Nullify!" I called, holding up the gleaming card. A dark bolt shot down, Skyress dropped back to 540, and Ultra Siege was _again_ gaining power. He was now up to an unbelievable 550Gs. This would be a doddle!

Or so I thought, at least, until I saw Kyros flash me a mocking smile and remembered that he still had one Ability card left. "Ability—Activate! Ultimate Transfer!" he shouted, flinging his last Ability into the air above his head. It flashed white for a moment, then turned jet black, and Skyress glowed with energy. In horrified wonder, I saw that she had unbelievably absorbed _all _of Ultra Siege's power! "Attack, now!" Kyros ordered.

Thunder Skyress immediately swooped over Ultra Siege and as the crowd all gasped audibly, knocked him backwards into ball form, where he flew past me and rolled over and over as if he couldn't stop. It was over. I was knocked out for good this time.

* * *

I sat moodily with Jack and Kate, watching the Grand Final. People around me cheered and yelled out various heartening or witty remarks, but I remained silent.

It turned out that Kyros and all his friends had made the semifinals, and then Rianna had won against Benjamin, while Kyros had thrashed Nicholas. Now Kyros was playing Rianna, and so far it had been quite a match, each Brawler playing a strong attack and tactical defence. It was getting very close now. Both Brawlers were down to just their guardian.

"Don't take it that hard, Phyra. You came further than I did, and there's always next month." Jack said optimistically.

"Yeah, buddy. You're just overreacting. You ought to relax a little, take time to smell the roses 'n' all that shiz." Dread Ripper put in brightly, though not very helpfully. There wasn't much that could dampen their spirits.

"It is said that the Rune of Scrabulus doth—" Gryphonoid began magnanimously, before Kate stuffed him into her pocket with an apologetic glance at me. "Jack's right, you know." she said encouragingly. "You played really well. It was just unlucky for you that Kyros obviously had more powerful cards. But there you go—now he's made it to the final, he'll probably be in the Advanced Squad already next time."

"Look, would you put a sock in it?" I said angrily. "I appreciate that you're trying to cheer me up and all, but I'm not in the mood for maternal lectures. You just don't understand—it's too late! Kyros already _knows_ I'm a hopeless mug, so he'll probably treat me like one for the rest of my life, no matter _how_ many tournaments I win after this one!"

I stormed off, leaving my friends hurt and confused. As I exited the stadium, I heard Kyros' Thunder Skyress send Rianna's Battleaxe Tigrerra flying into ball form while the crowd cheered and applauded. I made my way down to the practise arena, but for the first time, I didn't feel the usual sense of peace and tranquillity.

I deposited my brawling gear in my locker, then sat down on a bench and sighed. I couldn't believe what was happening to me. I had just yelled at my best friends! We had little arguments from time to time, sure, but we never shouted at each other—_especially _not over such stupid affairs. Kyros was just another of those unpleasant people one invariably encounters in the world. He was the sort of person my friends and I laughed about. Why, then, did I care so much about impressing him?

Eventually I gave up on trying to figure myself out. I was by no means a psychologist, even if I _did _have amazing hair. Not that hair has anything to do with that kind of profession, mind. I decided to go and apologise to Jack and Kate for taking my temper out on them. As I turned to go, however, I heard a muffled noise issuing forth from my locker. Puzzled, I went over and opened it. I don't know what I expected, but it certainly wasn't _Ultra Siege_ popping out and heading straight towards me with a happy exclamation. I caught him, and his ball form opened up in my palm.

"Hey, Phyra," he said in a deep, calm voice. "I just wanted to say that I had a grand time battling with you today. You're a very talented Brawler."

I smiled at him. That was just what I needed to hear. "Thanks, Ultra Siege." I said.

"Siege will do. My full name is too...awkwardly formal."

I grinned. Bakugan _did_ have pretty unbelievable names sometimes. I replaced him in my locker and went back upstairs to see if I could catch my friends on the way to dinner...

* * *

While we were walking into the mess hall (my friends having accepted my apology), Jack was filling me in on the Grand Final match, since I hadn't really been watching at the time. He kept getting distracted by Kate, though, who was smiling at him in amusement while he was talking.

"...and then, Kyros whipped out this really snazzy Ability card which transferred Battleaxe Tigrerra's _entire Power Level_ to Skyress!" Jack cried, gesturing excessively to further demonstrate his profound sense of awe.

"Hey, I know that card," I interrupted, "he used it on _me_. It was called 'Ultimate Transfer', I believe. Can't imagine where he got it from, though. Some Abilities you find these days are just potty. It's a wonder the masters don't come up with a restricted list or something..."

By this time we'd reached our seats, so we sat down as Rosie appeared amidst the usual wolf-whistling and calling out of dimwitted pick-up lines, and began to shovel down large amounts of the 'Asparagus Pie Slop' she was serving (another of the cook's _specialities—_don't ask). Well, Jack and I did, anyway. All that hard brawling had given us an appetite, but Kate was busy staring after Rosie's retreating curvy form in a disgruntled fashion, and said absently that she was saving room—she and some of her AC friends were having a party later.

Jack was asking her what it was like to be an AC for about the millionth time, when I turned around suddenly. Kyros and his friends were leaving the mess hall, and there was something in their manner that aroused my suspicions. I decided to follow them. "Hey, listen, I'll see you guys later." I said absently, getting up. I'm not even sure they heard me—they were too engaged in their discussion. Sometimes I vaguely wondered what it was like to have a special affection for someone, but I was normally far too busy honing my brawling skills to have time for a fancy woman, so I'd never taken the concept seriously.

I exited the hall and followed Kyros and the others down the hallway, making sure to keep my distance. I saw that they were going down to the practise arena. Maybe they were just going to get in some late night brawling practise. I strongly doubted this, however. Some part of me knew inexplicably that they were doing something they shouldn't.

I descended the stairs quietly, hid myself in the shadows near the doorway and tried to hear what they were saying. Sundered fragments of conversation reached my ears, but none of them sounded particularly reassuring...

"...don't know if this is such a good id—" Nicholas was saying nervously.

"...quiet...—ve my reasons..." Kyros hissed back dangerously.

"...really? ...for cheating in the tournament to—?" Rianna's voice broke in icily.

I pressed myself flat against the wall, trying not to gasp in shock. Kyros had _cheated?_ How? And why hadn't the squadmasters spotted it?

"...—n't speak of things you know nothing abou—" Kyros was saying sharply. "Creating my own unique cards isn't cheati— ...in the rules about using custom Abiliti—...too bad if some dolt can't compete with... ...their proble—" He snickered, and the other two boys joined in, but Rianna didn't sound impressed.

"...know as well as I do that if the masters found out, they'd say it was chea— ...you'd be expel—" she muttered in a low voice.

"...so what? ...going to _tell_ on me, Rianna?" Kyros retorted in a mocking voice.

At that, Rianna fell silent, though she still mumbled mutinously every now and then.

Nicholas's voice rose slightly as he spoke next. "...—oing to tell us why this pathetic tourname— ...you had to use custom car— ...ensure your victory?" he asked coldly.

"...can see you are clever. Perhaps I should... —t you in on my pla— ...perhaps not now. ...—ar too dangerou— ...—mportant to risk." Kyros returned, smiling coldly. Nicholas and Benjamin sounded disappointed at that, but they didn't protest. Rianna, however, took the opportunity to speak.

"...—nd what of that boy? ...Phyra, he said his n— ...—hy did you act so strangely when... ...his name?"

I was getting more and more confused by the second, but I knew for sure that there was something sinister at work here, and I wanted none of it. In many ways, I was still a child, but I had sense enough to want to get out of there. I turned to slip away silently and... _Darkness consumed me. A brilliant white light came towards me... _I staggered and fell through the door, landing awkwardly on my elbow. I couldn't help but utter a low cry as pain shot through my arm. Through watery eyes I saw the foursome turn to stare coldly at me.

"Eavesdropping are we, Mr Vyander?" Kyros inquired dangerously. "How much did you hear?" His eyes darkened as he spoke and he looked scarier than anything I had seen in my dreams. I merely glared at him, however, and said nothing as Nicholas and Benjamin grabbed me, pinioning my arms behind me. Kyros soon grew further enraged. "Oh, so it's to be the preservation of a gallant silence?" he said. "Come now, you're no hero." His face was within inches of mine, so that I could make out every one of his angry features in detail. If my arms had been free, I probably would have socked him out of sheer annoyance.

But it seemed he was feeling the same way, because without warning, he unhooked the baton from his belt and hit me with it. Hard. I would have reeled backwards if it hadn't been for Benjamin and Nicholas holding me tightly. White lights blinked before my eyes and I felt blood trickling down my face. I kept my mouth shut, though, and returned Kyros' fierce gaze.

"Didn't hurt enough to make you spill the metaphorical beans, I take it." he commented. "So be it. I don't like to do this—well okay, I do—but you leave me no choice. Benjamin, I think we could do with taking off the kid gloves and introducing the iron fists where this dullard is concerned." I was released momentarily, and Nicholas, Kyros and Rianna turned to go. As Benjamin grabbed me again—by the collar this time—I looked around and saw Kyros smiling at me, face alight with malice. "Just remember, Vyander, you brought this on yourself." With that parting shot, he and the others vanished into the shadows.

I glanced back at Benjamin just in time to see the so-called iron fist flying towards my face. I tried to dodge out of the way, but I wasn't quick enough. Benjamin's hefty knuckles caught the side of my head as I was turning to run. I fell over sideways, head throbbing with pain, tripped over a bench and landed on my side, stunned. I heard Benjamin walking over to me, but I couldn't seem to move. He pulled me roughly to my feet, growling, "You should have known better than to meddle in other people's affairs."

Then he kicked me viciously in the ribs and sent me into the wall. Pain jabbed through me again, and I thought I might faint if it got any worse. "Care to put up your dukes?" he sneered, taking cruel pleasure in the fact that the advantage was all his, and I couldn't properly fend off his blows.

"What are you four up to?" I panted, unable to support myself as I slid back down to the floor.

"None of your business." His foot seemed to come out of nowhere, catching me under the jaw, and the arena turned black.

_The Bakugan's evil red eyes stared into my green ones... "Ability—Activate! Claws Furiously Burning!" _

_..._My_ claws? ...What had happened to them? ...Dangerous weapons—danger... I leaped toward my opponent and sunk my flaming claws into its flesh... Blood—everywhere... I put out my fangs and dug them into the dying Bakugan's neck... I have become a monster!_

_I looked up and saw another Bakugan flying down to attack me... It shot a huge blast of darkness at me... I tried to call for help... I was being consumed by the darkness... Suddenly, I saw a brilliant white light coming towards me and..._

"Phyra? Phyra, are you down here?" I heard a voice calling me. My body hurt all over. I was lying on a floor that was splattered with blood. Neither Kyros nor any of his friends were in sight. I raised my head groggily and tried to concentrate on the voice. "Phyra? Where are you?" It was Jack's voice.

"Here." I called weakly. I sat up, feeling sick. My clothes were slightly torn, and I was cut and bruised all over.

"Phyra—there you are! I've been looking all over— _Phyra!_ What happened?" Jack had finally caught sight of me.

I grimaced at him and wiped blood off my face. "Kyros and his gang." I mumbled thickly. "I was following them after dinner, and they came down here. Then I had this...moment. I'm not really sure what happened, but I fell over. They caught me, and Kyros had Benjamin beat me up." I felt really horrible now, and tried not to vomit as Jack helped me to stand up. "Ugh. That Benjamin's quite the boxer. It feels like I broke a couple of ribs—maybe my arm, too. I think I lost consciousness at one point there, because I was sort of dreaming when you came in."

Jack grinned. "Well, with a last name like _Uppercut_ you wouldn't take him for a Palooka." I smiled briefly in spite of myself. Then I felt dizzy and discharged my half-digested 'Asparagus Pie Slop' out my gullet, causing it to mingle with the blood on the floor. Jack wrinkled his nose. "Crikey, you are definitely in need of medical help." he muttered.

"And mayhap some mental help, too." Dread Ripper added in a deranged attempt at humour.

I ignored both statements and said seriously, "Listen Jack, you won't believe what I heard that lot talking about..." I told him all of what I had heard, except for one part. I decided not to relate how Rianna had been talking to Kyros about me. That was too disturbing to think about right now. Besides, after what Kyros had done to me, I supposed there wasn't much chance of him approaching me further, whatever problem he might have had with me when I first introduced myself.

"Good lord," Jack exclaimed when I'd finished. "What are you going to do? Tell the masters?"

"No," I said decidedly. "I don't know what those gits are planning, and even if I did, I don't have any evidence. Although," I added, "that reminds me—Kyros won the tournament. Did he get into the Advanced Squad?"

"No, he didn't. His brawling was impressive, but the masters didn't admit him in the end." Jack answered.

"Hmm, maybe that means they're onto him." I said, cheering up a bit.

"Maybe." he replied doubtfully.

After that, the conversation died down a bit. In spite of my protests, Jack took me to the medical facilities, where I was patched up—after responding to the nurse's quizzing with a few vague hints about what on Starsector I'd managed to do to myself—and informed bluntly that I'd have to refrain from brawling for the next couple of weeks.

Grumbling half-heartedly at Jack for taking my injuries so seriously, I made my way back to my room, bid him goodnight, and, after a few slight difficulties undressing, climbed into bed and fell asleep instantly.


	4. Chapter Three: We Have a Deal

**A/N: **Two more things I should really let you know about. Firstly, if you find the brawling gets tedious after a while, don't despair. There is much less of it after Part I. Secondly, there will be a fair few made-up words used in this story. Most should be self-explanatory, but there's one, "shmarkled", which I think crops up at some stage. It's a word my friend invented, and means "exclaimed in a surprised manner".

**Chapter Three – "We Have a Deal."**

Three Weeks Later...

_The darkness was consuming me... A brilliant white light was coming towards me... It was a— It was a dragon!_

"_Phyra!_ Get out of bed, you lazy carcass!"

"AARGH!" I screamed, jumping out of bed in alarm. I landed with a loud bump, hitting my head on a nearby chest of drawers. "Ouch!" I wailed, rubbing my head. Thankfully, my hair didn't seem to be too damaged. I heard a snicker behind me, and stood up, glaring. Jack was standing there, with a wide grin on his face and Dread Ripper sitting on his shoulder.

"Phyra," he inquired, "do you want it known all over the entire Squad that you wear Pikachu pyjamas?"

"You can jolly-well talk, what with that tutu you wore to Lloyd Herman's birthday party—and what the devil have you done to your boots!?" I cried, gesturing at his absurd footwear.

"Nothing, you dumbcluck. They've just got personalities now." he giggled, sitting on the floor. "Look—this one's Billy-Bob—" He indicated one that now bore a smiley face and a moustache. "And _this_ one's Bobby-Jean!" He pointed at the other, which featured a buck-toothed grin and earrings.

"Why are you actually here, Jack?" I asked wearily, as I stumbled over to the mirror and immediately began grooming myself.

"I want to know if you're going to come and join us in the arena any time soon for that tag-team brawl we'd arranged."

I looked at my clock and groaned. It was Saturday, and I'd slept in. Having finished arranging my outrageous display of shiny golden spikes, I dressed quickly and turned to ask Jack something, but I saw that he'd already left. I supposed he was eager to get back to talking with Kate. As I was preparing to leave, I remembered that I'd left Siege in my drawer after a big party the night before, so I went over to the drawer and opened it. It was chock-a-block full of personal debris, as usual.

While I was digging around, trying to find Siege, I pulled out something that looked vaguely familiar. It was an Ability card. "Claws Furiously Burning... Oh, it's that Ability I dreamed about and found under my bed." I muttered under my breath.

"Talking to yourself again, Phyra? How about getting me out of here so you can talk to _me_ instead?" Siege's muffled voice issued out from somewhere amongst the clutter. Smiling, I kept searching and eventually I found him, buried under a pile of socks. "Thanks a heap." he complained. "Next time you decide to stick me in a drawer, you might at least make sure I don't have to spend the night under your socks, cos their putrid, repulsive, awful, fell, foul, gut-churning, pungent and in all other ways unendurable stench hits one's nostrils _reeeeeally _hard."

"Sorry about that. I've been meaning to put those out in the laundry, but I've been so busy lately, I keep forgetting." I said apologetically as I sat him on my shoulder. He didn't comment on that, but instead asked me whether I was planning on getting to the arena any time soon. I smiled, and, tossing Claws Furiously Burning onto my bed, tore out the door. On the way to the arena, I passed Kyros and his gang. They didn't acknowledge my presence except that Kyros stiffened slightly, and his expression became something of a sneer. I ignored him likewise.

It had been three weeks since he'd enlisted Benjamin to knock me about, and in all that time we had avoided each other. I hadn't seen any of his lot doing anything fishy, and they hadn't interacted with me at all. None of them were on the Advanced Squad yet, and I wasn't really looking forward to the possibility of facing Kyros again in the tournament next Saturday.

All things considered, the last little while had been pretty bad. I had only just been able to go back to brawling a few days before, and I was also still having distressing visions, which I couldn't make head or tail of. The only _good_ thing that had happened was that Jack, Kate and I had made a new friend.

Her name was Rebecca Fletcher, and she was a Ventus Brawler. She'd joined around a week ago, which was unusual, as new cadets were generally admitted at the start of each term. The next admissions day wasn't until the end of next month, but her father, General Fletcher, was a well-known and respected officer in the Royal Staryan Army. He'd apparently had to go away on a mission, so he'd arranged for Rebecca to train here for a while and learn more about his line of work.

Rebecca was sixteen, and had long blonde hair—which wasn't quite as nice as mine, but which I found attractive nonetheless—warm hazel eyes, and a sweet, quiet nature. She wasn't quite so talkative as Kate, and was fond of dancing, fine dining and long walks on the beach, or so she said. She was also allergic to nuts, dust and dead flies, and was afraid of bees. Her guardian, Ventus Preyas, didn't really talk at all. He just made random sound effects for no discernible reason.

We'd arranged to have a tag-team brawl today, and I'd been looking forward to seeing Rebecca battle. I'd heard from Jack that she was pretty good, but had never actually played her before. I reached the arena at last and found my friends chatting enthusiastically about the tournament next week.

"...and I heard that this month's prize is going to be a new type of technology developed in the labs, or some racket like that." Jack was saying excitedly.

Kate grinned at him. "If you want a chance at that prize, then you'd better up your game and make sure you do better than last time, young padawan." she teased.

Jack coloured slightly and ran a hand through his wavy brown hair. "I just didn't get enough sleep the night before, cruel maiden." he asserted. "If I hadn't been suffering from fatigue, that cur Jason Bourne could never have vanquished me."

"Least said, soonest mended." smirked Dread Ripper.

"The Rune of Scrabulus says that—"

"Will you leave your blasted rune out of this!?" Dread Ripper screamed, changing moods in the blink of a pink eyeball.

"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" Jack chanted enthusiastically. I ran up to him and smacked him in the back of the head. "Ow." he complained. "Wherefore dost thou strike me so?"

"Just letting the peasantry know that their king hath arrived." I replied saucily.

"So you're here at last, O Possessor of the Cranium that Forever Sleeps." Kate said mischievously, while Rebecca just smiled.

"Never mind him and his golden-fleece-covered cranium. Are we ready to engage in combat?" Jack asked, edging hopefully towards Kate. She tousled his hair fondly before replying with, "Sorry Jack, but being the eldest, I get to pick the teams—and I think the most interesting arrangement would be boys versus girls. What do you reckon, Rebecca?"

"I'm game." said Rebecca.

"KAPOW!" scoffed Preyas.

"That actually makes no sense, Preyas." Dread Ripper put in.

"BIFF!" Preyas snorted.

The rest of us looked on dispassionately for a few minutes as this continued. Jack then looked at me, wanting to know how I felt about teaming up with him against the girls. I indicated that I didn't mind. He grinned at me and strapped on his BakuPod, as well as donning the ridiculous hot pink cloak he liked to ponce around in whenever he wanted to make a dramatic appearance—and it sort of worked, too, because no one would get within several yards of him while he was prancing about the joint with it billowing absurdly around his ankles, so he always had plenty of room.

Those of us who were not possessed of pink cloaks put on our BakuPods, and I pulled on my lucky cap. "Field—Open!" the four of us yelled.

* * *

"Bakugan Brawl!" I cried, flinging my Bakugan low and fast over to Rebecca's Gate, where Preyas stood waiting. So far, it had been a surprisingly even brawl. Each of us was down to one Bakugan, and there'd been some memorable victories on each side.

I pulled out my Ability card and prepared to activate it, when suddenly there came a shrill, whining noise from somewhere _outside_ the Field. The shining walls collapsed, and we were left staring around, wondering what had happened.

Then we heard a noise near the door. Turning, we saw Kyros and his coterie (or "minions", as we called them) standing several yards away. Kyros was holding something in his hand, which he promptly tucked away into his hip pocket. "What do you lot want?" I asked angrily.

"Oh, nothing much. Just the use of this room, preferably without your irritating presence." Kyros replied smoothly. He addressed me when he spoke, but didn't so much as glance my way, for his eyes were fixed on Rebecca.

Kate stepped forward in annoyance. "Jarvis," she said, glaring at Kyros, "you know as well as anyone that this arena is for everyone to use at their leisure. You don't own the place, and you don't have the authority to boss other cadets around."

"Precisely, so spread _that _on your omelette and eat it." Jack added.

I elbowed him in the ribs, hissing, "Stay out of it, idiot, else he'll have _you _on the floor next!"

"Yeah, Jack. Cease and desist." muttered Dread Ripper.

Kyros turned his gaze on Jack, who backed away but tried to conceal the fact that he was doing so. "You're a real cock-sparrow, aren't you?" he spat, in a voice that figuratively dripped venom. "And yet I don't recall _you _winning the tournament last month."

"Well, you wouldn't have won if you hadn't _cheated_!" I burst out suddenly.

Kyros looked at me and sneered, while the others started murmuring amongst themselves. "So you heard that, did you?" he said with a patronising air. "If that's the case, maybe a little brawl will convince you of my superiority. I challenge you and your peanut gallery to a battle. You four versus us four. I will only use Abilities that have been recorded in the official archives, and I guarantee you that this will not prevent me from smashing you apart, then using your pitiful excuses for Bakugan to wipe you up  
afterwards."

_If looks could kill, _I thought to myself, trying not to quail as Kyros' expression went from mocking to violent in record time. "And if we win, you'll confess to the masters that you cheated." I postulated, hardening my own gaze.

Kyros' eyes widened at that. "Of course not, you pettish sap," he growled. "You can't make me do anything."

"Are you afraid?" I jeered.

Nicholas whispered something to Rianna, who smiled unpleasantly at Kyros. He saw her, but didn't show it. Instead he looked back at me and spoke again. "Very well, Vyander, we'll make this a wager. That said, what will you do when you lose?" he questioned scornfully. Suddenly I didn't feel so confident. But I couldn't back out now, and my friends were strong Brawlers. Surely our chances of winning weren't so minute. I looked at Kyros and smiled charmingly-but-annoyingly.

"If we lose," I said, "then I'll make you a present of a Pyrus Ability card I found. I've heard those are exceedingly rare, not to mention powerful. I guess with your—" I hesitated meaningfully. "...With your extensive knowledge in the area of Ability cards, you'll be able to convert it to another Attribute or something."

Kyros' expression lost its coolness as his jaw dropped. "You have a Pyrus Ability?" he gasped.

"You bet—and no pun intended." I grinned in a cheesy-and-retarded manner. "So, do we have a deal?"

Kyros appeared to be deep in thought for a few minutes, then he looked up at last and smiled unpleasantly. "Yes, Vyander." he agreed. "We have a deal."

* * *

"Field—Open!" the eight of us cried. The shining dome appeared once again, but there was something different about it. Something was missing. I looked around, frowning, but I couldn't place it, so I pushed the thought out of my mind.

"Gate Card—Set!" Eight glowing cards whizzed through the air like light particles, in colours of purple, orange, blue, green and gold, to land and expand to extreme sizes, forming a giant battlefield. Benjamin went first.

"Bakugan Brawl!" he roared, pitching the little orange ball over to his Gate, where it turned into... "Stand, Subterra Wormquake!" A giant brown worm-like monster rose up out of the card and gave an unearthly cry. Then it was Rebecca's turn.

"Bakugan Brawl!" she said, as with a graceful flick of her wrist, she sent her Bakugan onto Benjamin's Gate. "Stand, Ventus Machete Fourtress!" A quadruple-armed Staryanoid creature appeared in front of Wormquake. It grasped a huge machete in each of its four hands. I checked my BakuPod and saw that Wormquake had 450Gs, while Fourtress had 460Gs. Not a bad start, all things considered.

"Ha, that won't help you! Gate Card—Open!" growled Benjamin, raising his hand as the Gate Card glowed white, and we could see that it was... "Stone Swap! Our Power Levels are switched, then Wormquake gains 100G-Power!"

"Got a counter, Rebecca?" I questioned.

"I reckon—watch this. Ability—Activate! Wind Reversal! I reverse the Gate Card's effect!" she said. Wormquake lost his 100Gs, then the Power Levels swapped, then _another_ 100Gs was taken from Wormquake. The Power Levels now stood at 460 to 350, in favour of Rebecca.

Machete Fourtress charged at Wormquake and, with a few vicious swipes, turned his unfortunate victim into what looked like a huge sliced salami, albeit a very ugly one. Then Wormquake's remains glowed, turned miraculously back into a ball somehow, and flew over to land on the ground near Benjamin's feet. Rebecca, meanwhile, caught Fourtress, and the Gate vanished.

"Good on ya, Bec." I said admiringly.

"Thanks." she smiled.

"Alright, enough drama," sneered Rianna, flinging out a Bakugan of her own. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Ventus Hornet Striker!" A green hornet hovered over her Gate, buzzing menacingly. Rebecca shuddered slightly.

"There, there, my good woman—it's not a bee, it's a hornet-shaped Bakugan." Jack grinned.

"Same difference." Rebecca muttered, backing away slightly.

"Are you twerps ready?" yelled Benjamin. "Come on, fire away!"

"Are you sure?" returned Kate. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Aquos Centipoid!" A bright blue centipede-like Bakugan stood on her Gate and waved its feelers threateningly.

"Oh, someone fetch the insect repellent," Nicholas called mockingly. "Bakugan Brawl!" His Bakugan zipped onto Kate's Gate to join Centipoid. "Stand, Aquos Juggernoid!" A giant blue tortoise appeared and tried to bite Centipoid, but missed as the huge centipede nimbly skittered out of the way. I looked at my BakuPod and saw that Centipoid had 400Gs, while Juggernoid had 430Gs. His Power Level was higher by 30.

"Gate Card—Open!" yelled Kate, crooking a finger. Centipoid gained 250Gs.

"You'll have to do better than that, lady. Ability—Activate! Nullify!" shouted Nicholas. A bolt of blue lightning came down and shattered the Gate Card.

"Ah, Master Nickelby—my brother—don't be so impetuous." Kate replied impishly, holding up an Ability card. "Ability—Activate! Summon Wind! Any player with a Bakugan at the battle may add a Ventus to the Field. If the losing player chooses to do so, the new Bakugan gains 50Gs for every Bakugan at the battle!" As Kate said this, a gleaming green sphere zoomed over and stood to reveal... "Stand, Ventus Mantris!" A giant green insect rose up next to Centipoid, screeching as power surged into its body. Between the two of them, they sent Juggernoid spinning off the Gate.

"Strewth! Look at that tortoise go!" Jack hooted. "It'll run over any hares lying about!"

"Jack, you shame me." his guardian said disgustedly. "Now calm your farm and focus."

"Oh, right. Bakugan Brawl!" Jack yelled. "Stand, Haos Grim Reaper!" The big Reaper hovered over Rianna's Gate, the ends of his awesome robes trailing magnificently. Hornet Striker tried to sting him, but a few deft sweeps of his gleaming gold and white scythe kept the great insect at bay. Grim Reaper had 500Gs—100 more than Hornet Striker.

"Think you're impressive? Pigs might fly! Gate Card—Open!" screeched Rianna, jumping up and down precariously and very nearly tripping over her stupid platform shoes. Meanwhile, Hornet Striker gained 200G-Power.

"For your information," Jack retaliated, "I _saw _a pig fly once! Ability—Activate! Ultra Power Transfer!" White beams of energy burst forth from Hornet Striker, and Reaper held out a hand, absorbing them into his palm. "Ultra Power Transfer is a Haos Ability that takes 200Gs from each enemy Bakugan at the battle and adds it to my Power Level!" The score was now at 700 for Jack and 400 for Rianna. Grim Reaper bore down hard on Hornet Striker, and was about do deliver the final blow, when...

"So what if you saw a pig fly? You reckon it's supposed to mean something?" Rianna cackled disturbingly. "That's a laugh! You can't even watch a spinning tortoise without cracking up. Ten to one you'd laugh if a pudding crawled! Ability—Activate! Hurricane Shutdown! I nullify your Ability!" A harsh gust of wind sent Reaper tumbling to the ground, where he got entangled in his not-so-awesome-any-more robes. Hornet Striker regained his 200Gs and was up to 600G-Power, while Reaper was back down to 500.

With an extra-loud buzz, accompanied with a sharp jab of his stinger, Hornet Striker sent Reaper reverting to ball form. Reaper rolled disconsolately across the floor, coming to a stop at Jack's feet. Jack looked pretty upset about Reaper, but now was not the time to recite an eulogy—and in any case, there was no point, as no one was dead. But maybe things wouldn't stay that way, because Kyros was about to take his turn. "Prepare to be acquainted with the Bakugan I won last month." he said, leering at me. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Jet Saurus!"

A large black creature appeared on my Gate. It had a muscular Staryanoid body, with a dinosaur-like head and thick, spiked armour. It had two gauntlets on its arms that shot out powerful jets of black fire which propelled it into the air. It hovered above our heads and bared its teeth at us. Its Power Level was at 500. I looked it over, trying to decide what to do, then Jack whispered something to me and I smiled. Choosing a Bakugan from my clip, I flung it out hard to join Jet Saurus.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Fear Ripper!" I called, as the big black beast stood up and flexed its enormous claws. I looked through my cards and calculated my move carefully. I was about to do something extremely risky, but if it worked, it would mean a big advantage to my team.

"Ability—Activate! Disadvantage Portal!" I called, holding up my card. "This rare Darkus Ability card brings one Bakugan from each of my opponents to the battle!" I watched as four small spheres, one from the clip of each of my opponents, were pulled onto my Gate where they transformed into Darkus Strikelash—a black scorpion, Aquos Gryphonoid—a blue griffon, Ventus Centipoid—a green centipede, and Subterra Saber-Toothed Hynoid—a brown wolf with horribly sharp teeth. Their combined Power Levels amounted to a stunning 1710, nearly five times as much as Fear Ripper had. But I wasn't finished with my combo yet.

"Gate Card—Open! Mirror Brawl! This Gate changes the Attribute of every Bakugan at the battle to its opposite!" I proclaimed. Even as I was speaking, Fear Ripper, Strikelash and Jet Saurus turned to the brilliant white and gold colours associated with the Haos Attribute, while Centipoid and Hynoid appeared to swap colour schemes, with Centipoid taking on the brown appearance that Hynoid had possessed a minute ago, and Hynoid in turn receiving Centipoid's previous green colouring.

I wasn't looking at any of these, however. I was staring, awestruck, at Gryphonoid, who had changed to—Pyrus!

Everything about him was absolutely magnificent—his red and golden-orange appearance, his warm aura and his fiery eyes. I had forgotten this would happen. I gazed at him in an ecstasy of near-disbelief. I was seeing a real live Pyrus Bakugan! I wanted him more than anything I had ever wanted before. If Jack hadn't nudged me, I suspect I would have just stared at him forever. As it was, I shook myself out of my reverie and tried to focus.

_Pull your head in. _I told myself sternly._ Don't forget, he may look absosnaply hootingberrily superb now, but after this battle, he'll return to Aquos. So just concentrate on beating him. _Having got over my excitement for a bit, I pulled out my second Ability card. I was counting on my opponents being taken by surprise, and not having any Abilities they could use to counter that would work with their opposite Attribute.

Hoping against hope my plan would work, I raised my Ability above my head. "Ability—Activate!" I screamed. "Lightning Switch, plus Fusion Ability—Activate! Dark Mutation Recover!" Lightning flashed from the sky, and the Power Levels swapped. I looked at my opponents and saw with a fierce rush of joy that each and every one of them was wearing a look of furious disbelief as Fear Ripper charged, his sharp claws slashing at everything within his line of vision.

No one had any counters as Jet Saurus, Strikelash, Gryphonoid, Centipoid and Hynoid were sent hurtling into ball form and off the Gate one by one. I had just taken five Bakugan out of the game.


	5. Chapter Four: The Biggest Change

**Chapter Four – The Biggest Change**

"What in Fate's Mystic Underpants was _that?_" Kyros gasped, turning purple.

"An impeccably executed card combination that has been confirmed by the masters as being perfectly legal, legitimate, and all other kinds of permittivity." I replied calmly. It felt so satisfying to say that to him, I couldn't help giving the cheesiest and most retarded grin in my wide repertoire of goading facial expressions.

"Phyra, did you know that your grin is both disgustingly cheesy and irritatingly retarded?" Jack murmured into my ear.

"It's supposed to be." I said, with highly refined dignity.

"Alright, Vyander," hissed Kyros, breaking into our conversation like the rude little so-and-so he was. "I've had it up to here with you. You've officially made me cross! Henceforth, there'll be no more dilly-dallying. Benjamin! Pull your finger out and show these rabble, ruffians, rapscallions and other riff-raff who's top of the stack!"

"Right away, sir!" said Benjamin, saluting like the minion he was. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Subterra Guard Cycloid!" We watched in unison as the tiny ball flew through the air and landed on Jack's Gate, where it transformed into a massive hulking ogre-like beast, with one eye and huge muscles.

"ME. KILL. YOU." it growled, sounding quite the cliché thug.

_If Benjamin lost an eye, you'd hardly be able to tell them apart. _I thought, smirking slightly.

Cycloid also wore an enormous suit of armour, fashioned from winding leather straps with giant leather plates attached. He carried a humongous spear. He also had 520Gs. "Ability—Activate! Draw!" continued Benjamin. Rebecca gave a start as a Bakugan in her clip flashed, before sweeping over to join Cycloid on Jack's Gate and opening up to reveal Ventus Falconeer, a bright green monster with an armoured bird-like head, wings and clawed feet. She had 350G-Power, while Cycloid had 520G-Power. That wasn't good, but even worse was that since they were battling on _Jack's_ Gate, they couldn't open it manually.

"Quick, Jack—what Gate did you set?" I asked him urgently.

"A normal one." he groaned. "It gives 150Gs to Haos."

"Damn. That means that even if we wait for it to open automatically, it won't do us any good." I muttered. "Got any counters, Rebecca?"

Before she could answer, Benjamin's voice came floating across the battlefield. "Ability—Activate! Optic Paralysis!" he grunted, before downing a large cheeseburger which he had produced from some off-the-beaten-track pocket about five seconds ago. Cycloid's eye turned red, and he shot from it a laser beam which enveloped Falconeer, freezing her on the spot. "Tough titty, twerps! My Optic Paralysis Ability prevents you from activating any of _your_ Abilities!" Benjamin guffawed. "Now, Cycloid!"

Cycloid roared, and he rushed at Falconeer, flailing his enormous fists. It was a pretty wide shot, but he managed to hit her in the end, knocking her to the ground like a stone. Both Bakugan then returned to ball forms, Cycloid going back to Benjamin, Falconeer rolling off to the side. Then it was Rebecca's turn. "Bakugan Brawl!" she yelled, sending a Bakugan flying over to her Gate Card with a neat sweep of her arm. "Stand, Ventus Preyas!"

A huge green reptilian monster stood up on her gate and cracked its knuckles, hissing, "SHUFFF!"

"Bakugan Brawl!" shouted Rianna, pitching a gleaming green sphere over to join Preyas. "Stand, Ventus Hornet Striker!" The giant hornet rose again in a flurry of beating wings and waving legs, buzzing softly as it eyed Preyas from a safe distance. It didn't try to attack him, though, as Preyas was 100Gs ahead of it, with 500G-Power.

Rebecca shot Hornet Striker a nervous look, and took half a step backwards before raising her hand and preparing to open her Gate. Before she could do so, however, Rianna whipped an Ability from her pocket and raised it skyward, calling, "Ability—Activate! Wind Convert! Enemy Ventus Bakugan can't use Abilities or open Gates! In addition to that, Hornet Striker gains 150Gs!"

That sounded bad. When I glanced over at Rebecca, though, she gave me a sideways smile, turned to face Rianna briefly, then addressed Preyas. "Now, Preyas!" she cried. Preyas nodded, then turned on the spot. As he did so, he changed colour, taking on a black hue with purple highlights. Then I remembered reading somewhere that Preyas Bakugan had the innate ability of being able to change Attribute. Evidently Rianna hadn't known that because her jaw dropped, while Rebecca raised her hand and cried out, "Character Card—Open! Preyas!"

We looked on as Preyas' Power Level doubled. "WHOOP! CHI-ZANG!" he cried, and lunged towards Hornet Striker, hissing violently. The enormous insect didn't stand a chance. Preyas felled it with a single blow of his scaly fist. Time for Kate to take her turn.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Aquos Centipoid!" she announced, as the big blue centipede stood on Nicholas's Gate.

"Seems it's time for my guardian to make her regal appearance," grinned Nicholas, hurling an Aquos Bakugan over to join Centipoid. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Aquos Bolt Ravenoid!" A brilliant blue monster, with an armoured body, bird-like head, wings and a staff in the shape of a lightning bolt ascended into the air above Centipoid's head, screeching, "In the name of my somewhat demented master, I shall triumph over all who oppose me!" Centipoid waved its feelers alarmingly, but couldn't reach its quarry. "Gate Card—Open!" Nicholas added, as the Gate flashed and the text was revealed.

"Quartet Battle!" Two Bakugan—one from Rebecca, one from Kyros—came zooming over to stand on the Gate Card, where they transformed into Ventus Machete Fourtress and Darkus Thunder Skyress. The Power Levels were now at 860 for the girls, and 1040 for the boys. Before we could remedy that situation, however, Nicholas activated an Ability card, saying, "Wall of Ice! No Abilities may be played!"

Great pillars of frost burst forth from the Gate, forming a wall around the battlefield and blocking any cards that might take effect. Thunder Skyress gave a cry of, "_Now_, sister! Let's take them!" and together, she and Ravenoid sent Fourtress and Centipoid flying from the battle. I looked at Jack, who nodded briefly and chose a Bakugan from his clip. Grabbing a Gate Card from his pocket, he then tossed it out, calling, "Gate Card—Set!" A flashing gold rectangle appeared on the Field. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Haos Spike Saurus!"

A Bakugan similar to Kyros' Jet Saurus appeared, but instead of jet gauntlets it had spikes all over its armour. It also held a mace in one of its hands. The aforementioned armour shone brightly in a dazzling array of white and gold. Kyros' turn. "Bakugan Brawl!" he—for want of a better word—yowled. "Stand, Darkus Thunder Skyress!"

The black phoenix burst into Bakugan form above Kyros' Gate. "Come," she cried. "Take me on if you dare!"

"They say _who dares, wins_." I muttered, selecting a Bakugan, before pitching it out to join Skyress. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Subterra Rattlesnake!" A vicious brown serpent appeared, shaking the rattle on its tail. It had 460Gs—80 less than Skyress.

"Gate Card—Open!" commanded Kyros. Darkness filled the Field, and Skyress gained 350Gs. She then soared down, trying to hit Rattlesnake as he slithered quickly out of the way.

"Ability—Activate! Hammer of Stone!" I retorted. A giant war hammer appeared, made of rock, and smashed the Gate to pieces. Rattlesnake then glowed and gained 200G-Power. I was now ahead by 120Gs.

"Ability—Activate!" hissed Kyros. "Power Void! I drop your Power Level by 200!" I looked quickly through my cards, but soon found I didn't have a convenient counter. I sighed as Thunder Skyress promptly swooped down on Rattlesnake and caused him to return to ball form with her sharp claws.

Benjamin's go. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Subterra Guard Cycloid!" he squealed—_His voice is still breaking? _I gasped inwardly—as his guardian loomed up to join Spike Saurus on Jack's Gate. According to my BakuPod, Saurus had 440Gs, while Cycloid had 520Gs.

"Gate Card—Open!" cried Jack, making a beckoning gesture. Nothing happened.

"Obviously you imbeciles don't know anything about Guard Cycloids." Benjamin taunted. "They have an innate ability. If Cycloid's base Power Level is higher than his opponent's, they can't open their Gate!" Cycloid let fly with a savage howl, rushed over, and began socking Saurus repeatedly in the face.

"Settle, petal!" yelled Jack. "Ability—Activate! Lightning Charge! Plus, Fusion Ability—Activate! Magnify! Lightning Charge adds 150G-Power to Saurus, while Magnify doubles that!" Saurus gave a mighty roar as tiny bolts of electricity enveloped him, boosting his Power Level. Then as Jack threw Magnify out into the Field, it became another bolt which struck his Saurus and doubled the size of all the other bolts. Full of new energy, Saurus rammed Cycloid hard with his shoulder, but before he could finish the great cyclops, Benjamin pulled out an Ability of his own.

"Ability—Activate!" he countered. "Boulder Shield! I nullify your Ability and gain 200Gs!" A wall of rock shot out of the ground and absorbed all the lightning bolts fuelling Saurus, then converted them into pure energy and shot them over to Cycloid. The Power Levels changed immediately, with Cycloid's going up to 720, and Saurus's falling back to 440. Cycloid growled menacingly, and with a grunt of, "NOW. YOU. DIE." ruthlessly pummelled Saurus back into ball form.

It was now time to set some more Gate Cards. "Gate Card—Set!" cried eight voices, as another eight cards flew in different directions like shining streamers, landing, growing and forming a huge battlefield once again.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Ventus Preyas!" yelled Rebecca, shooting her guardian over to Nicholas's Gate, where he crouched down on all fours and began yapping like a dog. "Pipe down and get your arse into gear, Preyas!" ordered Rebecca, whereupon he stood up again, though admittedly saying "VROOM VROOM!".

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Ventus Battleaxe Tigrerra!" yelled Rianna, sending a gleaming green sphere over to Jack's Gate where it transformed into a strong, muscular tiger, standing on her hind legs and carrying a massive battleaxe in her paws. She was armoured in places, and had sharp blades sticking out here and there. She brandished her axe and growled furiously.

"FWOOP! KA-ZING!" Preyas hollered distantly, from where he stood on Nicholas's card.

"SILENCE, LIZARD!" roared Tigrerra, who was at least twice his size.

"That one would make a terrific librarian," Kate observed drily, before shooting her own Bakugan out. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Ventus Beam Gryphonoid!" she called triumphantly, as her guardian rose into the air over her Gate Card, growling, "BY THE MIGHT OF THE RUNE OF SCRABULUS, I WILL AVENGE...wait, what will I avenge?"

Beam Gryphonoid was the evolved form of Gryphonoid, which was in turn a variant or sub-species of Griffon. He looked similar to his previous form, except his claws and fangs were now made up of laser particles and glowed astonishingly. His eyes were similar, and a bright cyan colour. His tail and back were lined also with spikes of the same particles.

"Looks like it's my turn." sneered Nicholas. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Aquos Bolt Ravenoid!" His guardian stood for the second time, rising up on his Gate Card and crying, "In the name of my master—"

"Yes, we heard you perfectly the first time," I called. "Let's just see how you fare against Preyas, you psychotic bird!"

"Is that what you really want to see?" grinned Nicholas. "Fair enough. Ability—Activate! Summon Ally! This card can be used by all Attributes, and brings a Bakugan from one of my team-mates into the battle!" Without further ado, Benjamin's Cycloid was pulled over to join the battle. The Power Levels now stood at 1020 to 500. Rebecca started to counter, but Nicholas hastily continued his combo. "Gate Card—Open! Power Merge! Cycloid and Ravenoid each absorb 100Gs from your Bakugan!"

Preyas shuddered as energy was transferred from him to Cycloid and Ravenoid. The Power Levels now stood at 300 for Rebecca, 1220 for Nicholas and Benjamin. "Top that!" jeered Benjamin, sounding less than impressive since his voice had gone all high again.

"With pleasure, m'lady," Rebecca answered, raising a card. "Ability—Activate! Tornado Switch!"

A mighty tornado swept through the Field, sending the battlers into confusion. The Power Levels switched, and Preyas roared with exhilaration as he stepped toward his opponents who, if they'd had shoes, would have been shaking in them. "What?" cried Nicholas and Benjamin, while one by one, their guardians were thrown out of the battle.

"It would seem as though you've both been vanquished mercilessly." said Jack with a grin. "Not that that merits any sympathy whatsoever, of course. Bakugan Brawl!" He stepped forward, and with a quick, sharp movement of his forearm, sent a bright white and gold sphere onto his Gate Card. "Stand, Haos Dread Ripper!" The mighty beast rose up and leered at Tigrerra, making some sardonic remark about her 'lovely figure', to which Tigrerra responded by taking a swipe at him with her axe. I looked at my BakuPod and saw that Tigrerra had 530Gs—just 10 more than Dread Ripper. Jack gave Rebecca a knowing glance. "Shall I?" he asked cryptically.

"Be my guest." she replied, bobbing a curtsey.

"Guys," I shmarkled, "no flirting on the battlefield!"

Jack put on an affronted look. "Us? Flirting? Perish the thought, comrade. We were just exchanging not-so-common courtesies. Gate Card—Open! Battle of Three!"

Preyas flew from Rebecca's clip to join the battle. "MIP MIP MIP MIP MIP WOOF!" he barked.

"Ability—Activate!" roared Rianna. "Blade Transfer!" She threw a out a card, which turned into a gust of wind as it travelled through the Field. It reached Tigrerra's blade, surrounded it, and caused it to glow bright green. "Blade Transfer is an Ability card unique to Ventus Battleaxe Tigrerra. It takes 200Gs from each enemy Bakugan and adds it to Tigrerra's Power Level!" announced Rianna, as energy shot from Preyas and Dread Ripper to Tigrerra's still-glowing axe.

The Power Levels were now at 930 for Rianna, and 620 for Rebecca and Jack. "Got a plan?" asked Rebecca.

"Methinks I do—a splendid one, in fact." replied Jack, and whispered something to her.

She nodded. "That sounds about as mostly harmless as a certain little blue-green planet which I've never heard of." She then turned to Preyas and called, "Preyas! Change to Haos!" Preyas turned and switched to a gold and white colour scheme.

"Ability—Activate! Haos Power Overload!" cried Jack. Preyas and Dread Ripper each gained 200Gs, while Tigrerra lost 200Gs. We were ahead by 590G-Power. It was over. Almost.

"Ability—Activate!" screamed Rianna. "Hurricane Shutdown!"

"She has _another_ one of those?" we shrieked collectively for dramatic effect, as a whirling hurricane swept through the Field and Jack's Ability was nullified. "Strewth! I'm out of cards!" he exclaimed, prior to looking at Rebecca for help. "Got anything?"

"Not enough." sighed Rebecca, examining her last two cards.

"Damn." I groused. It was definitely over. Then I looked at the mocking faces on the other team, and felt a sudden feeling of peace flood my body. _It might not all be hunky-dory for Jack and Rebecca, but Kate and I are still fighting fit, and we ought to stand a chance together. _I put a hand on Jack's shoulder briefly as Dread Ripper was hurled to the floor at his feet, closely followed by Preyas. Then I smiled assuredly at Kyros, who had stepped up to take his turn.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Thunder Skyress!" he shouted, sending his guardian over to his Gate Card with a smooth flick of his wrist.

"Go ahead and challenge me! I defy you!" she screeched.

"You are, in all honesty, starting to annoy me!" I yelled back.

"Annoy?" Kyros returned. "I'll show _you_ annoy! Ability—Activate! Draw! Plus, Fusion Ability—Activate! Magnify!" I looked down and saw a Bakugan moving from my clip to stand on Kyros' Gate Card. Next to me, the same thing was happening to Kate. "Draw is an Ability card that lets me bring a Bakugan from my opponent's clip to the card my Bakugan is standing on, but Magnify allows me to use this effect _twice_!" Two Bakugan stood up on the card, revealing my Darkus Fear Ripper and Kate's Ventus Mantris. According to the BakuPod it was 540Gs versus 730.

"What's he doing?" Kate wondered.

"I have no clue, but I'll bet we're not going to like it." I said darkly.

"You'd win that bet, Vyander—"

"Look, will you _stop _listening into my dramatic dialogue!?" I screeched. "I mean, it's fair enough that you want to make snappy comebacks, but you're being a total drip!" Suddenly, everyone stared at me. "What? It's not very nice." I said in a tiny voice.

"Now you know how I felt when you were listening in on _me._" grumbled Kyros, reaching into his pocket. "But enough with this moronic banter. I mean, are we following a pre-determined script or something? Is someone narrating this story? WE SHOULD BE FREE TO SAY ANYTHING WE DAMN-WELL WANT!" He shook his fist at the world in general for a moment while his team-mates tried to act like they didn't know him. At last, I gently reminded him that his Skyress was about to be pounded into a pulp by Fear Ripper and Mantris, whereupon he got a hold of himself and continued with his combo. "Ability—Activate! Resurrection Insurance!" he yelled.

My team-mates and I couldn't help but gasp. Resurrection Insurance was a card that was legendary among Brawlers. It was so rare that only about one in a thousand players possessed it. I hadn't heard of anyone in the entire Squad—not even any of the squadmasters—owning one. It stops all opponents from playing or opening Gates. Then, if you lose anyway, you keep your Bakugan regardless.

The situation wasn't looking good, and from there, it only got worse. "Gate Card—Open! Mind Ghost!" finished Kyros with a bizarre twist of his mouth that could either be called a contorted product of a mental illness or a poorly executed evil grin. _So that's his plan. _I thought.

Mind Ghost—as any good Brawler will tell you—is an interesting Gate Card. Its ruling is that no matter which side the battling Bakugan are on, they all lose. Since we couldn't play Abilities, we couldn't nullify the effect. There was no possible way we could counter that. We watched as Mantris and Fear Ripper returned to ball form. Ours fell at our feet, but thanks to Kyros' Ability, he took back Skyress and smirked. "That ought to even the odds a bit." he chortled.

"Mate, chortling is _so_ not cool for a bloke like you." sighed Rianna.

My turn. I took out a Bakugan and pitched it onto Rianna's card. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Ultra Siege!" I called, as my huge warrior stood at last, and went through a series of slightly-impressive-but-also-random war poses, flourishing his huge staff in a lance-like manner—which was kind of appropriate, since his previous form _had _in fact carried a lance, rather than a staff. Unlike most guardian Bakugan I'd ever seen, however, he preferred not to make himself look like an _entire_ idiot by shouting out frenzied challenges to the universe.

"Bakugan Brawl!" returned Rianna, throwing her guardian over to join Siege. "Stand, Ventus Battleaxe Tigrerra!"

The giant green tiger rose up and bared her teeth. "SILENCE, FOOLISH KNIGHT!" she thundered.

"But I didn't say anything!" protested Siege.

"YES YOU DID!"

"No I didn't!"

"YES, YOU DID!"

"No I _didn't!_"

"YES, YOU DID JUST THEN!"

"Wha—?"

"AND THEN!"

"Is that so? Well I'd like to tell _you _that you are a complete—"

"SILENCE!"

"Alright, break it up, ladies." sniggered Rianna, raising her hand.

"Actually, my good woman, I am a knight." Siege said with dignity.

"I was making a joke, you great galoot! Are you too stupid to see sarcasm or do you just need to get a sense of humour? Good lord, man, why do I even _bother_ to try and be funny? I don't do this for my own amusement, y'know! Gate Card—Open!" shrieked Rianna, going totally ballistic as her Gate Card flashed and revealed the text written on it.

"Null Breeze!" Kyros broke in hastily, as Rianna coughed and spluttered into an inhaler (all that shouting having given her a momentary asthma attack). "This Gate Card prevents all players from playing Abilities, and ups the Gs of all Ventus Bakugan by 100!"

_What!? _I screamed inwardly. Hastily looking at my BakuPod, I saw that Siege was at 550Gs, and Tigrerra at 630Gs. Tigrerra rushed forward and began to slash wildly at Siege with her axe. I looked helplessly out at him, wishing there was something I could do. Then he looked back at me, and to my amazement I saw there was no trace of fear in his eyes. "Never fear, Phyra." he said quietly. "She'll be apples."

Then he sprang forward as Tigrerra attempted to hit him, and blocked her. I could see he was finding it hard to fight under the significant power disadvantage, but he clearly had some kind of plan, so I watched and waited, hoping he knew what he was doing.

After a moment I saw with amazement that his opponent seemed to be weakening. I checked my BakuPod and realised that Siege was inexplicably absorbing Tigrerra's power! Little by little, he grew stronger, while little by little, Tigrerra grew weaker. After several breathtaking moments, he had absorbed 100Gs of her Power Level. Now he was at 650, while Tigrerra was back at 530. I couldn't possibly make a guess as to what was happening here, but I didn't care right now.

"Finish her, Siege!" I screamed. Siege nodded and swung his staff viciously, sending his target flying. I waited expectantly for him to return to me, but he didn't. Puzzled, I watched as dark clouds formed above his head, swirling and multiplying by the second. Within a few minutes, he was completely enveloped. Then the clouds hardened suddenly, leaving him encased in a dark mound. After a few seconds, the mound started glowing purple. It grew brighter and brighter, until, with a loud grinding noise it shattered, sending fragments of the dark substance flying to turn into clouds again and drift away.

I looked at Siege, then saw with a fierce rush of joy and excitement that he had finally evolved. His staff was lengthier and the ball on it was no longer a ball, but a diamond. His armour had also changed. It was more slender and flexible than it had been, and his helmet now had a jagged horn on it, like a crest. The biggest change was that he now had wings instead of a cloak: huge, black, feathered wings, like those of a dark angel. He looked at me and said, "Thanks to your years of hard battling, Phyra, I have at last gained enough experience to advance to the next stage of my evolution chain. I am no longer Ultra Siege. I am Arch Siege."

He returned to ball form as the Brawlers gathered gaped in astonishment, and flew straight into my hands. I smiled at him, then looked up as Kyros stepped up to take his turn (Kate having no other Bakugan to throw out). "Time to get rid of that monstrosity you call a guardian!" he yelled at Kate, flicking Skyress over to her Gate where Gryphonoid was waiting.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A MONSTROSITY—AND HAS ANYONE REMEMBERED WHAT I'M SUPPOSED TO BE AVENGING YET?!" hollered Gryphonoid, ducking as Thunder Skyress screeched and soared down at him, trying to get her claws into his vulnerable points. He hastily—though not beautifully—took off, his enormous, ragged wings beating steadily if not gracefully. According to the BakuPod, it was 540Gs versus 530Gs.

"Want to have some fun, Phyra?" Kate asked with a wink.

"I'd love some." I replied, with a charming-but-annoying smile.

"I thought you said no flirting!" Jack complained.

"We're not flirting, you hopeless nigel," I snapped. "We're exchanging banter—which is almost but not quite the same thing!"

"Precisely." said Kate. "Gate Card—Open!" She crooked a finger. "Battle of Three!"

My guardian zoomed over to join in the fight. "Stand, Darkus Arch Siege!" I cried, while he burst into Bakugan form, zooming up on his new wings to fight Skyress in the air alongside Gryphonoid. I glanced at Kyros as the Bakugan waged war above our heads. He was neither happy nor finished.

"Think you're tough with your brand-new-and-shiny evolved Bakugan!?" he roared. "Well, see how he fares against my guardian—or as I sometimes call her, the parrot of darkness! Ability—Activate! Dark Feather Storm! This is a rare Ability card unique to Darkus Thunder Skyress. It adjusts her Power Level to meet that of her opponent's. If the opponent was ahead by 300Gs or more, half the amount they were winning by is transferred to Skyress!"

With that, Kyros' Power Level rocketed up to 1500, while ours went down to 860. Skyress screeched and attacked Siege and Gryphonoid fiercely. They tried to fly out of the way, but losing a significant amount of their power had weakened their reflexes greatly. As the air battle continued to rage above us, I caught Kyros sneering at me. I flashed him another charming-but-annoying smile, since frequency was a large part of the annoying factor, and I had a reputation to keep up.

"Kyros," I called with a wink. "_You_ may think _you're_ superior with your ultra-powered Abilities and so on and so forth, but remember this: at the end of the day, the most powerful Ability card is still just an Ability card." I then nodded to Kate, who whipped out a card of her own.

"Ability—Activate! Hurricane Shutdown!" she announced.

Kyros' mouth fell open, though not a sound came out of it as for the third time during the match, a hurricane roared through the Field and Kyros' Dark Feather Storm Ability was negated, the Power Levels returning back to 540 for Skyress and 1180 for Siege and Gryphonoid. There was no way Skyress could compete with that. She received a tremendous blow from Siege's staff and a flurry of lasers shot from Gryphonoid's eyes, before returning to ball form and landing at Kyros' feet.

I caught Siege, while Kate caught Gryphonoid as the Gate vanished and the shining dome disappeared, revealing the arena around us once more. The battle had finally drawn to an end, and my team had won.


	6. Chapter Five: Honour or Vengeance

**Chapter Five – Honour or Vengeance**

"Fair go!" Kyros howled in outrage. "You can't use cheap moves like that to dismantle such a—" I ignored him and beamed at the others as they came over to congratulate me and Kate.

"That's the ticket, guys! Your blood's worth bottling!" Jack cried excitedly, while Dread Ripper did a ridiculous war dance on his shoulder.

"What he said." smiled Rebecca.

"BLA-ZING!" enthused Preyas

"I congratulate you all and advise you to heed the message of the Rune, Brawlers, for it will—"

"Cause you to lose your marbles." Dread Ripper finished under his breath.

"You're improving a lot, old sunshine. I'll make a worthy opponent of you yet." Kate teased, deftly knocking off my lucky cap.

"Cheers, buddy." I gave her a friendly punch before turning to face the other team, the smile sliding off my face as I straightened my hair slightly. "Well, Kyros, we had a deal. Do you intend to keep your word?" Kyros glared and said nothing. "Will you keep your end of the bargain?" I pushed.

His face turned from red to purple. "No, I will not!" he spat. "You're a mug if you think I'm going to own up to something like that, and there's no way you can make me!"

"True, but you've admitted your guilt to a roomful of witnesses." I returned. "If you won't keep your word, then I'll have to tell the masters myself. Either way, you'll be exposed. The question is, do you wish to admit your misdemeanours like an honest man?"

I watched his face carefully. He seemed to be struggling with himself. After a moment or two he looked directly into my eyes, something he hadn't done for three weeks. As I looked at him, I saw undiluted hatred in his stare. "Never," he declared furiously. "Go to the masters if you wish, and see if they believe you. You've no evidence to prove your claim. The only thing you'll gain for your impudence is your own humiliation!" With that parting shot, he strode out of the arena, motioning for his minions to follow him. I turned back to my friends. They returned my gaze with uneasy looks.

"What are you going to do? Will you turn him in?" asked Kate.

I didn't answer her. Partly because I didn't want her to know what I would do. Partly because _I_ didn't know what I would do. And partly because I didn't _want_ to know what I would do...

_What _will_ I do? _I asked myself silently. _Do I choose honour? Or vengeance?_

I decided to sleep on my decision. After all, there was no sense in rushing things. I tried to push the thought out of my mind, but it kept nagging at me. I was too preoccupied to hear anything my friends said at dinner, and all that worrying was making me too nervous to eat my marshmallow-salad-and-beets (I don't know how the cook got the job, either).

Even Rosie looked out of sorts today. Her face was black as thunder when she slammed mugs of mushroom cider down on the tables, and when Joel O'Connell gave a roguish smile and playfully pretended to grope her, she just about took his head off with a pair of barbecue tongs. Kate, on the other hand, seemed rather smug about something.

I couldn't see Kyros or his gang anywhere in the mess hall and that didn't make me feel any more relaxed. In the end, I bid my friends goodnight and headed off to my room, feeling somewhat fatigued. As I stepped through the door, I put my hand up to my shoulder and realised I had left Siege in the arena. Face-palming, I set off to retrieve him. Ever since he had started talking to me properly, I'd got into the habit of carrying him around more than I had before.

On my way down the hall, I saw Rebecca making her way to her room. "Finished dinner already?" I asked.

She jumped at the sound of my voice, but when she realised who was speaking, she relaxed and gave a smile. She had a sweet smile, even in those days. "Oh, hullo, Phyra. No, I'm just not hungry. I suppose the beets didn't quite agree with me." she said with a hint of amusement in her voice. Despite the fact that she was now smiling broadly, I sensed that she wasn't quite at ease.

"Are you alright?" I asked in concern, thinking that she didn't look a hundred percent.

She seemed surprised at my question, and was silent a moment before replying briefly with, "Of course. Just a bit tired, that's all." I started to speak, but she interrupted, sidling over towards the door. "Well—I'll see you tomorrow, then. Goodnight." With that, she was gone, leaving the corridor somehow dimmer than it had been before I'd seen her.

I stared at the door she'd gone through for I'm not sure how long, then continued on my way with a sigh. There was no question of her behaviour being strange—but then, most of the girls in the BBS _were _strange. So I ceased to dwell on the matter and instead fell to wondering again what I was going to do about Kyros. He certainly deserved to be punished for his actions, and it was right that he be punished for his actions...but was it right that I be the one to bring that about?

I knew that I _wanted_ to expose him, but were my motives right? Was I in this for justice or revenge? I couldn't say for certain, but what I did know was that whenever I pictured Kyros being expelled, I felt a surge of cruel satisfaction, which was not a usual feeling for me. I had never been a violent person...until I'd met Kyros. Everything had somehow changed now. Every time I looked at his loathsome expression, I wanted to punch him really hard. As hard as I could, again and again until he collapsed and fell still.

Whenever I sat down and thought about it, I could hardly believe what had happened to me. _Danger to my opponent... _I pushed _that_ thought firmly away. These visions were another worry. I hadn't told my friends about them, as I didn't want them to think I was potty, or stressing about it too much. To be sure, the visions were disturbing, but that didn't mean they were significant in any way...did it? Still, I would have liked to have someone to confide in. If only I'd had parents—or _any_ relatives for that matter... But no, of course there was no point in wishing.

I believed in Fate like all others of my kind, but uncertainty, nonetheless, was beginning to gnaw away at me, and I was still very young. I hoped I wouldn't have a nervous breakdown or— My thoughts were interrupted by my arrival at the arena. As I went in, I saw Nicholas coming out. He didn't look at me, or indicate he'd noticed my presence. The hall was poorly-lit, and he'd apparently not been paying attention to his immediate surroundings. I looked after him and saw he was headed in the direction I had come. His room was only a few doors away from mine, and I can tell you it was quite unsettling thinking about _that _at night. I wasn't scared of Nicholas, for he was just another kid. But he was with Kyros, and I didn't like to think what Kyros might be planning behind the scowl he always wore in those days.

I looked at the door to see if anyone else was coming out. No one. I looked inside. No one. Evidently Nicholas had been by himself. I didn't know what he'd been doing, and I didn't care. One thrashing had been enough to convince me to stay out of Kyros' business. I entered the arena and, after a hasty search, found Siege. He didn't seem particularly happy with me.

"Cheers a million, mate." he said coolly. "I had a terrific time down here, wondering if Kyros or any of his lackeys were going to make off with me or something. That Nicholas was present for quite a while, you know, and I don't reckon he considers me the best of friends or anything. I suppose," he went on, before I could interrupt, "that you just _forgot_ about me? Your guardian? The joy of victory was so great that you forgot it was _me_ who brought you to success? If it weren't for me, you'd have been beaten like a dozen eggs and you know it."

"What? How can you say that, Siege?" I protested, stunned and hurt by his accusations. "Of course I didn't forget you! Of _course_ I know you helped!"

"Then why did you leave me down here?" he demanded.

"Because I was so busy arguing with Kyros that I—" I trailed off hopelessly.

"Forgot about me." Siege finished coldly.

Something flared in me and I lost my temper. "_You're_ the one who's forgetting _me!_" I screamed. "Who was it who brawled with you over and over until you evolved? Me! Who was it who chose the right abilities so you'd have a chance in battle? Me! And _who_ was it who kept faith in you, even when it looked as if you would be defeated? Me! We're a team! Without_ me_ on your side, you'd just be another ordinary Bakugan!" I threw him angrily into my locker, where he landed on my cap with a soft _thud_, remaining silent and stony. I turned to leave, then went back over to him, taking a deep breath. "You're the one who's forgetting that we're a team." I said, calmer than before. "I'm sorry I left you behind. No one's perfect. However, not only are we a team, we're friends—and friends forgive each other. If you'll forgive me, we'll call it quits, but if you won't...then I say you can find yourself another Brawler." With that, I left.

I was still fuming as I entered my room. I wasn't particularly angry at Siege. He'd been a bit harsh, but his feelings weren't unreasonable. I was mostly angry at myself for yelling at him. _That's the second time in three weeks I've blotted my copybook and shouted at a friend. _I thought miserably. I sat down and tried to think positively. Eventually, my anger abated and I resolved to go and make up with Siege the very next morning, after he also had had time to cool down.

I undressed, and tossed my clothes onto the end of my bed. Then something Siege had said earlier finally clicked. Nicholas had been down in the arena earlier, _and Siege had been there the whole time. _I wondered whether he had seen anything, and decided to ask him about it once I had set things straight with him.

I went over to my drawer to pull out all my dirty socks. Thinking about Siege had reminded me about the state of my laundry, and I really did need to get them washed. As I rummaged through the drawer for the second time that day, pulling out random things here and there as I tried to locate all my various socks, I remembered that I had left Claws Furiously Burning on my bed that morning. So I went over to the bed, intending to replace it in the drawer.

It was gone.

I stormed down the hallway to the squadmasters' lounge. From what I could hear, dinner was over and the majority of the cadets were heading off to bed (the minority being the Advanced Squad). Odds were, then, that at least one of the squadmasters would be in the lounge. My premise was confirmed when I passed the kitchen and heard no noise other than Rosie sobbing bitterly about something. Maybe Joel had finally got his own back about the tongs.

The theft of my Ability card was the final straw. I had no doubt that Kyros was behind this, as his lot and mine were the only cadets who knew that I had it, and when I had asked my mates whether or not they knew where it was, they had all replied in the negative. So now I was firmly settled on what I was going to do. It wasn't so much _what _was stolen as the fact that _anything _was stolen that got to me. I'd figured by now that Kyros had a buggered sense of decency, but even _I_ hadn't thought he would sink as low as getting one of his minions to break into my room and steal my Ability card, even though he had lost the wager.

So I was going to reveal everything to the authorities and see if I could get this settled. As I reached the door and raised my hand to knock, a sudden thought struck me. _Kyros must have _really _wanted that card if he was prepared to steal it, but what could he possibly want with a _Pyrus_ Ability? _This didn't make me feel any better, and I resolved to try and get the card back at all costs. I didn't know what Kyros was capable of, but it couldn't be anything good.

I knocked firmly on the door and was admitted. Inside the room were Squadmaster Gyro, Squadmaster Xaen and Squadmaster Kor'zhe. Brilliant! The three squadmasters who would be most likely to listen to me, all here in the same room!

"Vyander! What do you want at this time of night?" exclaimed Squadmaster Xaen, an elderly man with wispy grey hair and beard, and a firm, quiet nature.

"Sir," I said, "I have reason to believe that Kyros Jarvis has not only cheated in the last tournament, but also broken into my room and stolen one of my possessions."

That captured their attention. Squadmaster Gyro sent someone to fetch Kyros, while I told Squadmaster Xaen and Squadmaster Kor'zhe of my suspicions about the theft, and of what I had overheard three weeks ago. I debated on whether or not to tell them also about Benjamin and our little bout of "fisticuffs", then eventually decided against it, as they would want to know why I hadn't told them at the time. That would in turn be awkward, since I was still highly embarrassed about the whole affair.

"Those are serious accusations you are making, Vyander. Are you sure Jarvis was to blame?" Squadmaster Kor'zhe questioned, who was one of the younger squadmasters, with black hair, pointy moustaches and a sedate disposition. I stated that I was sure of Kyros' guilt as Kyros himself came into the room, looking sullen. The squadmasters informed Kyros of my assertions and his eyes widened.

"He's lying," Kyros growled, glaring at me. "I never went into his room and neither did any of my friends. We were attending an enrichment class during dinner, and it's still going right now—so if you don't believe me, then Master Kerrik will set you straight." he ended triumphantly.

"If that's the case, why did I see Nicholas in the corridor?" I returned violently.

Kyros stared at me for a minute, then sneered. "You were seeing things, Vyander. Nicholas was with us the whole time. I don't know who you saw, if anyone, but it wasn't Nicholas."

That stopped me in my tracks. Surely I couldn't have been wrong? I was certain that I had seen Nicholas, but if Kyros had Squadmaster Kerrik to back him up... The squadmasters turned to look at me sternly. I lowered my eyes. "You know the punishment for falsely accusing fellow cadets, Vyander." Squadmaster Kor'zhe said grimly. I realised I would have to drop that charge.

"Alright, maybe he wasn't responsible for the theft, but I maintain that Kyros cheated. He admitted it himself in a roomful of witnesses." I persisted.

"Is this true, Jarvis?" asked Squadmaster Gyro, who was a portly man, bald, and very loud.

Kyros looked at him, then at me, then back at him. I could see beads of sweat running down his face. He didn't attempt to deny the charges further, which was almost as good as a confession. The squadmasters became really worked up. They gave Kyros an angry lecture about fairness and how despicable it was to cheat during tests and so on, especially when this institution was meant to help the army recruit worthy battlers and such, while I just sat and hoped that I wouldn't get off too harshly for falsely accusing Kyros of stealing. _But, _I thought to myself, _if neither Kyros nor any of his minions stole the card, then who _did?

When the squadmasters finally finished their speech about an hour later and started announcing their decision, I can't say I was particularly sorry, since it took my mind off all the questions that were buzzing around in my head. Still, I waited on tenterhooks as Squadmaster Xaen stepped forward and looked at Kyros with a cold expression. "Kyros Jarvis, for the offence of cheating during trials, you are expelled from the Bakugan Brawler Squad." he stated without emotion. I'll never forget the look Kyros gave me as he took the news. I don't doubt for one second that if three squadmasters hadn't been in the room, he would have attacked me violently then and there.

Squadmaster Xaen then turned to fix me with a stern gaze. "Phyra Vyander, considering the circumstances involved with this case, the rule states that the penalty is set at ten lashes with the strap. You'll serve it tomorrow. "

I swallowed and nodded blindly. To tell you the truth, I was actually somewhat relieved. Normally you'd get more than ten lashes—and it would be the cane. Squadmaster Noth, who was in charge of canings, was undoubtedly the most meanspirited out of all the squadmasters. Extra lashes weren't unusual when approaching him for discipline, as his temper generally took charge of how many strokes he dealt, rather than his ability to count (which, I might add, was questionable even at the best of times). Squadmaster Flix was the strap man, and I'd heard he wasn't too bad.

I received the information that I'd see Flix after breakfast the next day with a fairly good impression of careless assent, though in fact I was trembling inside. I'd never gotten corporal punishment before. The worst I'd ever had was detention a couple of times in my first year for not paying attention in class. I decided not to think about the matter if I could help it, and strode off to my room. I hoped I would have some vision-free sleep for once, but sadly my hopes were dashed, and I had another fitful night full of Abilities and darkness and glowing white dragons.

The next morning, I was pleased to note that Jack hadn't woken me up for probably the first time since the morning after I'd joined the BBS, when he'd sauntered into my room by mistake and then, finding it occupied, started a conversation with me, bold as brass, on the subject of the common or garden snail and its mating habits. I dressed sluggishly, having had the worst night's sleep I could ever remember having before. When I'd recovered something of my senses, a huge grin spread over my face as I rejoiced that it was Sunday and I didn't have to attend any classes. Then I remembered that I was going to see Squadmaster Flix, and the grin slid off my face faster than Jack's fried-rice-and-ice-cream cake vanishes off his plate.

I tried to brace myself with positive thoughts, but it didn't really help very much. I turned to speak to Siege, then recollected with a jolt that I'd fought with him last night. I wasn't hungry, so I decided to skip breakfast and go and make it up with him instead. I entered the arena, not without some misgivings at first, but I saw that no one was there and relaxed. A little bit, anyway. Going over to my locker, I opened it and spoke uncertainly. "Siege?" No answer. Rummaging around in the locker, I realised he wasn't inside. Half-panicked, I called out loudly. _"Siege?" _No answer. "Where could he be?" I wondered aloud in my desperation, hoping beyond hope that Kyros or one of his minions hadn't captured my guardian.

"Been talking to yourself again, Phyra?" a cheery voice called out from behind me.

Whipping around, I saw Siege bouncing my way along the floor. "Siege!" I exclaimed joyfully, catching him and dusting him off. "Where were you? I was calling for you!"

"I heard." he said apologetically. "I was coming as fast as I could. I sort of spent the kitchen. Thought watching Rosie have a shouting match with the head chef might take my mind off things."

I wasn't really listening, for I was too happy to see him to care much about anything else. I smiled at him before placing him on my shoulder. "Let's never row again. Agreed?" I proposed.

"Agreed." said Siege, with just a hint of amusement in his voice. Suddenly my appetite returned and I decided to see if I was in time to catch my friends for breakfast. On the way, I asked my guardian whether he'd seen Nicholas do anything suspicious in the arena the night before. He replied in the negative, however. Nicholas had walked in, sat down on a bench for a while, as though thinking, and then walked out again. After that, Siege himself had left for the kitchen. Maybe I _wasn't _seeing things, then. Or maybe we were both seeing things. That wasn't very comforting.

"So, what exactly happened last night?" Jack asked for the third time, as we waited for Rosie to bring out fourth helpings of turnip pancakes with tomato sauce.

"Jack, if you hadn't been stuffing your face like a fang merchant, you'd have heard him in the first instance." said Kate, which set the two girls to hooting with laughter. I gave Jack a glance which indicated that I agreed with her. He blushed slightly, and knocked his carrot-infused ginger tea all over his elderberry muffins, which made the girls laugh even harder.

I tried to keep my countenance as I piled Worcestershire sauce on my own muffins, but it was futile.

Soon the four of us were roaring with laughter and falling off our seats. Meanwhile, there was an angry exclamation from the kitchen, and then Rosie stormed out of the door empty-handed, and exited the hall—completely ignoring everyone save for Joel, whom she threw her apron at.

A few minutes later, a new waitress appeared, and this time there were no wolf-whistles whatsoever except from Alfie Colander, who was a bit of an odd one. This waitress was long and lanky, and had a face that could kill a stampeding elephant from about a mile away. She introduced herself in a screechy, masculine falsetto as Helga, Rosie's replacement, and began to serve out the pancakes. Most of the boys looked quite sulky at this—except Alfie, who continued to whistle and cheer and try to catch Helga's attention. Nearly all the girls looked happy, though, and Kate beamed like the sun for the remainder of the day. Jack and I began to giggle again, as did the few various others who hadn't cared terribly for Rosie's stature.

"Those youngsters really should know by now that proper decorum is the way to set about seeking success." Gryphonoid murmured to Siege, who was sitting on the table and trying to look like he didn't know any of us.

"I don't meant to pooh-pooh your idea, old son, but I say you should let them have their fun." Dread Ripper asserted. "Immaturity is, after all, the best part of being a teenager."

"OI! QUIET DOWN, THE LOT OF YOU!" Squadmaster Noth roared at everyone, emerging from the lounge. He really _was _miserable as a bandicoot, I thought. One glance at him and not only would the milk sour but the pitcher break too—and that was on a good day. Eventually we all subsided and tried to avoid each other's eyes as we resumed our breakfasts. One of us would let out a giggle every now and then, to frenzied whispers of _Shh! Noth'll scream blue murder if he hears you!_ from the rest, but the girls soon resumed their trivial chatter, and the boys began to eat like there was no tomorrow. I, meanwhile, adopted the position of an honorary girl and told Jack about all that had happened last night.

"Well, he certainly got what for." he remarked. "I guess we don't have to worry about _him_ any more. But as for you, my mate, I really couldn't predict how you'll fare against Master Flix and the dreaded strap. D'you reckon it'll hurt much?" He uttered this last as though it were an afterthought. I tried not to think about it, and gave a non-committal grunt. He didn't seem to notice my discomfort, and rambled on about all the grisly stories he'd heard from the older cadets.

Eventually I decided I couldn't stand it any more and, pushing away my plate, I strode out the door, intending to go straight to Squadmaster Flix and get it over with. On the way, I passed Rianna, Benjamin and Nicholas. They looked up and fixed me with malevolent glares. I ignored them and exited the hall. I heard Jack's voice drifting out after me, filled with information that I found _extremely_ comforting. "And Josh _swears _he bled for a _week_ afterwards. And— Phyra? ..._Phyra?_ ...Strike a light! Where'd he go?"

I strode through the door of Squadmaster Flix's office after knocking and being told to enter. Squadmaster Flix, a tall, broad shouldered man in his late thirties, was sitting in an armchair, reading a book titled _Practical Parenting in a Fractally Demented Universe_ and smoking a pipe. He looked up as I entered. "Oh, you must be Vyander. Been getting into trouble?" he rumbled, smiling broadly through his beard.

I was slightly disconcerted by his genial manner, as I'd expected him to be grim, like the other squadmasters the previous night—plus it was rather strange that he was acting just like someone's jolly old grandfather when he was comparatively young—so I just mumbled a vague assent into my collar. Squadmaster Flix chuckled and put his book away, saying, "I remember when I was your age, I got into trouble nearly every day! Into the back room with you, my lad, and meet some of your fellow troublemakers." He motioned for me to go through a narrow door that was positioned behind his desk, which I assumed led into another room. So, feeling more than a little unsettled, I did as he bid, wondering what awaited me on the other side of the wall.

I passed through the door and found my premise was confirmed. This room was larger than Flix's office, and square-shaped, with low wooden benches running around the walls. The walls themselves had a number of hooks on them. In the middle of the room was a stone platform, perhaps a foot high. Around half a dozen other cadets were gathered in the room. All of them were boys, since girls generally managed to avoid copping harsh punishments through feminine tricks I know not what, and most of them, I noted, were a couple of years older than me.

I recognised Peter Butcher and Joel O'Connell, a couple of notorious rebels in their last year, and Jason Bourne, a bit of a trickster from my history class. I didn't know the other three, though. Most of them seemed quite at home and were laughing and joking amongst themselves. Evidently they'd been in trouble enough to be quite relaxed in this atmosphere. I noticed, though, that one boy, a Haos Brawler, seemed as tense as I was. Doubtless it was _his_ first time, too.

One or two of the boys looked up as I walked in. "Phyra Vyander?" Peter called with a grin. "What's a nice guy like you doing in a place like this?"

"Oh, just touring." I said with a weak attempt at a smile, though my stomach was churning. I wished I hadn't had so many of those pancakes... I went over to the Haos Brawler who was sitting in the corner, intending to introduce myself. I couldn't have said what prompted me to do so. Maybe it was just because he seemed to be in the same situation as myself. Or maybe it was because there was something familiar about him... I couldn't place it, but I was sure I'd seen him somewhere before. He stared at me as I approached. I gave a shaky grin and said, "Hi. I'm Phyra Vyander."

He nodded, but didn't make any attempt to speak. I felt awkward now, but I couldn't stop myself. "Is it your first time too?" I asked. The curiosity in my voice wasn't fake.

"Yes," he said quietly. "I've never been in trouble before." He looked like he was going to cry.

I decided not to press him for details. After all, I'd have been undoubtedly humiliated if anyone in the room had found out why I was here. The majority of the boys gathered were no doubt being punished for things that cadets considered laudable. You know the kind: jokes on squadmasters, fights with unpopular people, general rebelliousness. If there was one thing I knew, though, it was that false accusations didn't fall into that category. I even embarrassed myself whenever I thought about it. _You let your hatred of Kyros blind your judgement and lead you to disgrace... _

I pushed the mortifying thought away and asked the boy his name. "Mikael." he answered, looking shyly down at his hands. "Mikael Norwalters."

"Nice to meet you." said I.

He smiled briefly, then jumped as Squadmaster Flix came in. "Alrighty boys, party's over." he announced. "Now, how many do we have here today? Seven? By my Aunt Betty's left eyebrow, is that all? Come on, you lot, why are you behaving yourselves so well? Not planning something, I hope?" Most of the others laughed or smiled, but I wasn't really at ease. I couldn't understand why Flix was hobnobbing with us like an old sparring partner. Was he joking? Or was he just batty? I could see that Mikael felt the same way.

I watched nervously as Flix took out a piece of paper which appeared to be a note from one of the other squadmasters and, after examining it and putting it aside, unhooked a large coil of leather from his belt and started unravelling it. _The Strap_. It was about an inch wide and half a centimetre thick. Nasty.

Peter beamed at everyone and whispered something to his neighbour, who snickered. Squadmaster Flix seemed to be having trouble with a large knot that had been tied in his strap. "Come on, you stupid thing," he muttered, pulling fruitlessly at the hopeless tangle of leather. "Come on, now. Who's been mucking around with you?"

The older boys were in fits of stifled laughter now, and I realised that one of them must have done this at some point for a joke. "Get a move on, Flix! Some of us want to be out of here before we're eighty!" Joel hollered, to hoots of amusement. Squadmaster Flix didn't reply, but kept grunting and tugging at the knotted implement of terror. Eventually he got it undone, to a round of mock applause. He stood up, red-faced, and glared at Peter. "BUTCHER!" he roared. "Was that you!?"

Peter grinned and raised a hand in lazy acknowledgement. He was about two feet taller than Flix. "Huh," Flix snorted. "_You'd_ do a lot with a stick and a bucket of eggs. As it happens, you are the first on the list, and if you don't quit messing with this damn thing, I might just increase your penalty!" He bore every appearance of sternness, although I could have sworn I saw him hide a smile.

"Fair suck of the sarsaparilla, sir!" Peter pretended to whine. "It was the voices what told me to."

"What a load of old hogwash!" retorted Flix. "You've got a string of excuses as long as your arm, Butcher. If your brains were dynamite, they wouldn't blow the wax out of your ears." He was now grinning broadly, however. It would have appeared that this banter was merely a formality.

_Alright, so he knows how to appreciate a joke. _I thought numbly, while Flix beckoned to Peter, saying, "Well? Don't just stand there like a spare groom at a wedding! Come and get the lovely present I've got for you." Peter stood up, winked at me, and bounded forward to stand on the platform. He gave Squadmaster Flix a friendly punch on the upper arm, which was returned whole-heartedly with a growl of "Arr, matey. I wish the end of the year would come faster. I'll be glad to see the back of you—and all your mischievous shipmates too."

_And apparently he also does a pirate impression, _I added to myself, as with that last parting shot, Flix raised the strap—Peter having held out his palm—and thus began the _crack session_, as these gatherings were called...

_WHACK._

Several people flinched.

_WHACK. _

I looked away awkwardly.

_WHACK..._

Gradually, the number of boys in the room decreased as one by one, the others took their turn and then shot off as fast as they could. By the time I turned around again, I found myself to be the only cadet left in the room, and saw Flix beckoning. I let out a small sigh, made my way slowly onto the platform and tried not to have hysterics as I proffered my hand and gritted my teeth...

_WHACK._

A thin red line of pain traced along my palm.

_WHACK._

I clenched my fists and held my tongue, somehow knowing that to cry out would be to trample on my dignity.

_WHACK._

My heart began beating faster. I felt like screaming, and my eyes began watering...

**A/N: **Uh oh, I'm afraid my corporal punishment fetish just became painfully apparent in this one. Good times, good times... Oh, and while I'm talking to you, I think now would be an appropriate moment to mention that "Phyra" is pronounced "PIE-rah" and "Arch" in "Arch Siege" is pronounced "Ark". There's an appendix I wrote on the pronunciation of various names, but that won't be uploaded until the end of the story, so I thought I'd just tackle those two now.


	7. Chapter Six: Impression and Aggression

**Chapter Six – Impression and Aggression**

Seven lashes later, I straightened up, said something I couldn't hear to Flix, and staggered out of the room wearily. My hand was a mass of painful red welts which burned horribly whenever I moved my fingers but other than that, I wasn't too badly off. It was now getting on towards eleven in the morning, and I decided to go to my room, maybe talk a bit with Siege, and then catch up on some much-needed sleep before lunch.

I had taken no more than five steps, however, when I bumped right into Jack. He had been waiting for me, it seemed, around the corner. I noticed that Dread Ripper wasn't present. He was probably put off by all those gory rumours Jack had been spouting earlier.

"Hi, Phyra! Hope you haven't been talking to yourself again?" Jack beamed. "Being off one's rocker is, after all, not fashionable any more."

"Shut up, deary." I said sweetly—or as sweetly as I could, seeing as my hand was on fire (or felt like it, anyway).

Jack wasn't put off that easily, though. He fell into stride beside me and started chattering about how it was discovered that the Ultimate Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything was something completely unexpected and other such whatnot, rabbiting on in a way that made my head ache. Eventually I smacked him in the back of the head, reiterating my previous suggestion to shut up. "What's got into you?" he inquired, rubbing the spot where I'd hit him.

"In case you haven't noticed, I've just had a lovely big dose of corporal punishment, you stupid galoot." I griped. "I'm the one who got the rough end of the pineapple in this case."

"Well pardon me for living, don't make a federal case out of it." he muttered. "How was it?"

"Painful!" I exclaimed. "He practically had me on toast!"

"Evidently, but what's it like to be whipped?"

"It wasn't a whip, it was a strap."

"The difference being...?"

"Ask Master Flix, the local identity." I huffed.

"Good idea. Still and all..." He rambled on happily, while I shook my head. There was no stopping that boy. I liked Jack, but sometimes I wanted to scream at him. I wasn't sorry when we reached my room. "...and so, Rebecca and I were wondering if you wanted to do a three-way brawl with us? Kate's got an exam today, you know, and—"

"Jack," I interposed, "I would normally love to, but this time I'm going to have to pass. I will see you at lunch. Goodbye." With that, I shut the door in his face. I could still hear him talking through the door as I took my shoes off and climbed into bed. I groped around for a suitably heavy book, found one, and invited him in. He bounced through the door enthusiastically, still talking, and I threw the book at him, catching him square on the forehead. _BULLSEYE! _I thought enthusiastically. Throwing things at people always makes me feel better.

I think Jack got the message, because once he'd thrown it back at my face, he exited the room. Still talking. I face-palmed as Siege hopped up onto my bed. "Having a hard time of it?" he asked sympathetically.

"It would be softer if Jack would find it within his soul to shut his trap once in a blue moon." I replied with half a smile. "He could talk under wet cement, with a mouthful of marbles."

Siege chuckled and settled himself at the foot of the bed. "You know," he said thoughtfully, "I've never really understood how we Bakugan are able to speak Reimish. I mean, we all have our own languages back home in Vestroia."

"Babel fish, maybe—and do you really?" I asked.

"Of course," he said. "My native tongue is Xiomic, after my clan of Xiomaros."

"What does that sound like?" I wondered.

"_Kesteth narluch berrienos estes."_ grinned Siege. "That means _mind your own damn business_."

"Very funny," I murmured, turning over.

"Yeah." He changed the subject. "On another track, I've a feeling that, come Saturday, we're really going to win this time. And you know what else? ...Phyra?...Phyra?"

I didn't answer him. I was asleep.

* * *

Friday Morning...

_A bright light was coming towards me... A dragon..._

I woke up drearily, then realised with a sinking feeling that I'd slept in—not for the first time, or last. I never _had _been a morning person. At the age of about ten, it seemed as though my get-up-and-go had got up and went. Someone had also apparently stolen my alarm clock, and as a result, I was about to be late for the first class of the day.

_It _would _have to be brawling theory. _I thought morosely. Brawling theory was Squadmaster Noth's class, and not only was he the nastiest of all the squadmasters, but also the most fussy about being punctual to the nanosecond. The last kid who had been late for brawling theory got yelled at until class was over. Mind you, it was a nice break for the rest of us.

I sprang out of bed, pulled on some clothes, and then tore frantically around the room, trying to find all my books and papers and things, before shoving them into my schoolbag and bolting out the door. I tore down the hall as fast as I could. If I hurried, I could just make it in the nick of time...

Then I felt my leg collide with something and I went sprawling. My bag flew out of my hands and sailed through the air before landing and spilling its contents everywhere. I heard a shrill snicker and running feet behind me and felt a hot surge of anger. I knew who was responsible for all this: Kyros' minions. Ever since Kyros had been expelled, they'd made it their sole purpose in life to make me as miserable as possible.

Still, even though I was fuming as I gathered up my scattered possessions, I couldn't help being glad, because no matter how many times those ratbags tripped me, hid my things and otherwise did all they could to generally harass and annoy me, their childish ways only confirmed one thing: that without Kyros as their leader, they were incapable of doing anything _really _sinister. I was profoundly grateful, then, for the meagre peace of mind this knowledge brought.

This gratefulness wore instantly down to naught, though, when I reached the classroom and found myself facing Squadmaster Noth's _extreme displeasure_ ("I DON'T WANT TO CAST ANY NASTURTIUMS ON YOUR MENTAL FACILITIES, BOY, BUT YOU WOULDN'T KNOW IF THE BLOODY _TOWN HALL_ FELL ON YOU!"). After he'd finished screaming at me, I went to take my seat, blushing with shame and anger. I saw Benjamin, Nicholas and Rianna smirking at me. _They _had got to class in the nick of time, of course. I also saw Jack looking at me with sympathy. I sat next to him, and he explained that he hadn't woken me up that morning because I'd told him specifically not to the night before. I face-palmed.

Several minutes later, a horrifyingly loud beeping noise issued forth from my bag, making everyone in the room jump. Upon investigation, I saw that someone—and I knew perfectly well who—had hidden my alarm clock in there and set it to go off right in the middle of class. I went gloomily forth to receive my punishment: a week's worth of detentions. I then sat back down and tried to concentrate on my work. This was rather difficult, since Benjamin was sitting right behind me with a sharp pencil...

* * *

After class had finished, I headed over to Combination Theory with Jack. We were joined shortly by Rebecca, who took that particular class with us. "Hullo, boys. Would either of you be interested in a brawl after lunch?" she asked eagerly as we sat at our desks.

"Ka-ching?" Preyas put in hopefully.

"Sorry, but I happen to have detention then." I said drily.

"Oh. That's not much chop. What happened?" she queried.

"Same old drama." I groused. "Bloody Noth's brains are in his arse."

"Well," she said, slightly disturbed, "best of luck." She smiled, and I found myself unusually distracted for a moment. "Not that I think you need it. What about you, Jack?" She turned to him. "Are you up for a match?"

"Can a duck swim?" he enthused. "Don't mind, do you, Phyra?"

"Why would I?" I said reasonably. "Tell you what, I'll take on the winner of your game once I'm free."

"Whacko-the diddle-oh," Rebecca all but teased. "Catch you later, then."

"Tell Siege from me that he'd better look out," Dread Ripper added, nudging me, "cos I'm gonna beat the mad _parakeet_ out of him!"

"You'll have to outdo Preyas first." I grinned. "So play _that _on your piano."

"WHAMMA-FWOP!" screeched Preyas.

"So what's _that _got to do with the price of eggs?" Dread Ripper demanded of Preyas—for he was the only one who could understand the Ventus Bakugan's humbuggery. After that, Squadmaster Gyro came in, announcing the topic for the next "dissertation" ("Say what, sir?" questioned Toby Hermea—the dolt of the class. "An essay, Hermea." said Squadmaster Gyro patiently. "Oh," said Toby), and there wasn't any time for talking.

When the lesson was finally over, Jack announced to everyone within earshot that he was hungry and wanted to go to lunch. I have no idea why he decided to scream that out in the middle of the hallway. It was as if all he wanted in life was to take the few friends he had left and put them into the pillory, so to speak. Rebecca and I pretended we hadn't heard anything until the few cadets who were practically wetting themselves laughing had finally gone away. Then we rounded on him.

"What on Starsector were you thinking, you galah?" I demanded.

"I was thinking that I was hungry." he said with a shrug.

"And what do you reckon this is? Bush week?" mumbled Dread Ripper, as I face-palmed again.

"Well, you two can go on ahead to lunch." I said dourly. "I myself will be skipping it today, since I heard the cook is doing 'Anchovy Popsicles and Lobster Sauce' this afternoon. Last time I had that stuff, I nearly threw up. Not to mention there's sweet, darling Helga to look at for the duration of the meal..."

"You seem to have a weak stomach." was Jack's comment.

"Why would you say that?" I wondered.

"Well, I've been stalking you for a while now and noticed you appear to feel sick a lot."

"Jack...I think _you're _the sick one." I observed, feeling intensely unsettled by this revelation.

"As a matter of fact, I went for a check-up recently and my doctor's diagnosis was that I have a rare case of fluoro green chicken pox." he said sarcastically.

I looked at him intently for a minute, then turned to go. "Jack," I said, turning to walk down the hallway, "you're full of codswallop, you know? You, sir, are, in spades, one of the strangest people I've ever had the misfortune to meet."

"Where are you going, Phyra?" Rebecca called after me.

"To see a man about a dog." I replied loudly, without stopping. My guess is they weren't feeling particularly curious, because when I glanced back a minute or so later, I saw that they had gone to the mess hall. No doubt they were setting off with the noble intention of braving the many perils brought on by Helga's face combined with 'Anchovy Popsicles and Lobster Sauce'. As for me, I wanted to go and speak to Mikael Norwalters. Why? Because there was something about him that fascinated me—something different, yet strangely familiar... _Oh, great. _I thought. _Now I'm turning into Jack._

I eventually found Mikael by pure chance. I was sliding down the bannisters on the grand staircase (Squadmaster Noth had told me not to a thousand times, but what can I say? It's _fun_.), and I bumped into him at the bottom. If you were wondering what it sounded like, it sounded something like this: "WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" "LOOK OUT!" "ARRGHH!" _**CRASH! **_"Ouch." "Hi, I'm Phyra. Remember me?" "...I do _now_."

It was a pretty embarrassing affair, but at least I'd found him, even if I had managed to probably crush his ribcage. "So—I was wondering if...er...if you'd like to have a brawl sometime?" I said lamely.

Mikael stared at me for a few minutes. This, I considered, was understandable, since mine was not really the question one expects from someone who has just fallen on top of one. "Sure, why not?" he stammered. "Now can you please get off me?"

"Right, sorry." I rolled off him and helped him up.

"Cheers." he said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get to—um—practical launching. See you later." With that, he ran off. Somehow, I get the feeling he'd only said that to get away from me, though, because practical launching was Squadmaster Kerrik's class, and he was currently in the medical facilities having several broken bones treated. No one knew how he'd got them, but the rumour was that he'd tripped over his shoelaces at breakfast.

_Well, you made a brilliant second impression, Phyra Vyander. _I berated myself. At that moment, however, I saw Nicholas walking past. Naturally, I hadn't spoken to him at all in the last week or so...well, _ever_, actually, but suddenly I felt the urge to do so. I strode over to him as he was turning into a room, and inserted myself between him and the doorway. "What do you want, Vyander?" he asked, glaring.

"I want to know why I saw someone who looked like you heading towards the corridor outside my room on the night my Pyrus Ability was stolen, when according to Kyros, you were attending an enrichment class at the time." I replied, unable to keep aggression out of my voice. Nicholas looked at me like I was an idiot. I returned his gaze fiercely. He glanced sideways, as if to make sure no one was looking, and I saw that he seemed rather uncomfortable. "Well?" I pressed.

He started to speak, then stopped. After a long pause, he gave me a cold, hard stare. "I have no idea what you're talking about." he said at last, but he couldn't seem to meet my eyes as he turned away.

I grabbed his arm and pulled him back to face me. "Go tell that to the marines." I said flatly. "I know you're lying." Nicholas didn't say anything to that. "What is it you're not admitting?" I asked angrily.

"Why should I admit anything to you?" Nicholas spat. "I'm no friend of yours. I don't have to talk to you if I don't want to." With that, he shook my hand away roughly and stormed off. I gazed after him. _Why is my life full of batty teenage gits? _I thought despairingly. I started to follow Nicholas, then realised that it was after lunchtime and thought the better of it. If I was late for a detention with Squadmaster Noth, I'd never hear the end of it...

* * *

After several gruelling hours (well, it _felt_ like that long) of writing lines, I managed to heave my weary body over to the practise arena. Of course, line-writing doesn't sound so bad until you realise that Squadmaster Noth normally gave out lines like 'I must not be an insolent, intolerable and insufferable nuisance who robs innocent students of their right to important knowledge by most unfairly, impudently and selfishly distracting them during class, as well as insulting the most revered Squadmaster Noth, who is ten times my consequence, by having the effrontery to set off revolting noises while he is giving a most important lecture.'

I couldn't say why I suddenly felt so tired, but I wasn't about to miss a good brawl over a passing bout of fatigue. Besides, with trials scheduled for the next day, I needed to get in as much practise as I could, for I wasn't going to let myself be beaten again. I entered the door and saw that Jack and Rebecca had finished their brawl already. I walked up to them, beaming. They turned as I approached.

"Can you _believe_ it? I _lost!_" Jack cried tragically ("It was, quite flagrantly, the ninny's fault." Dread Ripper said in an audible whisper, though it was unclear who he was referring to).

"Of course I can believe that." I teased. Jack made a face and punched me in the arm. I socked him in the back of the head again (don't ask why, but the back of Jack's head has always been my favourite target), and a frenzied through largely pointless chase began. Rebecca face-palmed as we tore around the arena, roaring with laughter while Jack attempted to hit me back. Then we stopped as we realised that Kate and Mikael had walked in and were staring at us.

Jack and I looked at each other for a moment, then collapsed on the floor and howled with hysterical mirth. Eventually I sat up, and, calming down somewhat, asked what Kate and Mikael were doing in the arena. "Well, Phyra," began Kate, who was still looking slightly confused, "I bumped into Mikael here while I was on my way to find you lot, and he, recognising me as a friend of yours, asked if I could tell him where you were, since you'd invited him to battle you. So I said he could come with me to find you, and here we are."

"I think you would be prudent to heed my words when I say that the Rune—" Gryphonoid started to say, but was cut off by Dread Ripper, as usual.

"Can it!" growled Dread Ripper.

At that, Gryphonoid puffed himself up indignantly. "Right!" he screamed. "I've had it up to _here _with you, you irritating, impetuous, interrupting..." We all stepped or shuffled back (depending on which of us were and weren't sitting on the floor), knowing what would happen soon. "...RUDE, OUTRAGEOUS, DISRESPECTFUL, ANNOYING, NO-GOOD, RIDICULOUS, COMMUNIST, STUPID, HORRIBLE, CHEATING, LYING, MARAUDING, BOOT-LEGGING, STINKING, VILE, REPUBLICAN, FOOLISH, DEMENTED, ICKY, DISGUSTING, DERANGED, MEAN, NASTY, LEWD, SELACIOUS, AWFUL, GRIMY, HALF-SHOD, MANIACAL, DEFORMED, BLITHERING, MENTALLY-CHALLENGED YOUNGSTER! YOU THINK THAT JUST BECAUSE I'M OLD AND YOU'RE NOT THAT YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH WHATEVER YOU WANT! WELL, I BEG—NO, I _DEMAND—_TO DIFFER! YOU'RE A—" At this point, Gryphonoid started chasing Dread Ripper around the arena, blasting him with a volley of laser missiles.

"Honestly," sighed Kate, "you'd think those galoots would get over themselves a bit." Jack, Rebecca and I nodded vigorously (Jack and I conveniently forgetting that we had been engaged in a very similar practise just moments ago). Mikael didn't say anything. He was shuffling his feet and looking very awkward.

_It would be awfully nice to attempt to befriend this guy in a normal situation, _I mused idly as I dusted myself off, having been too interested in Dread Ripper's and Gryphonoid's fight to realise that I was still on the floor. Jack was, for his part, looking pretty sombre. I suppose he was annoyed at having made a fool of himself in front of Kate for about the bazillionth time.

I turned to speak to Mikael. "Rebecca and I were just about to have a battle," I said blithely. "Do you want to do a three-way?"

For the first time since I'd met him—but perhaps that's a bit over-dramatic seeing as I'd only met him a few days ago—Mikael smiled. "Sounds like fun." he replied.

"That settles it, then," I announced mock-pompously as I pulled on my black cap.

"This should be mildly entertaining." Kate remarked.

We all pulled out Gate Cards (Jack and Kate would enter the Field to spectate), and the customary cry rent the air. "Field—Open!"

"Gate Card—Set!" Rebecca, Mikael and I shouted, as our cards flew out like shining comets, in colours of green, purple and gold.

"Bakugan Brawl!" yelled Mikael, flinging his Bakugan onto his Gate Card. "Stand, Haos Centipoid!" There came a flash of white light, then a giant gold and white centipede reared up on the card, waving its feelers.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Flash Cybertallion!" I returned, as a big black robot arose on the same Gate and began to wrestle with Centipoid. My Cybertallion had 420Gs, while Centipoid had 380.

"Ability—Activate! Draw, plus Fusion Ability—Activate! Power Steal!" cried Mikael. _Not bad. _I thought, as a Bakugan was pulled from Rebecca's clip and rose to reveal Ventus Falconeer, who stood at 350Gs. Then Power Steal kicked in, and the Power Levels changed as Centipoid absorbed 100Gs from each of his opponents. He was now up to 580, while Cybertallion was down to 320 and Falconeer was down to 250.

Jack and Kate looked on eagerly as Centipoid screeched and attacked my Cybertallion with its front legs, while winding its body around Falconeer to keep the bird-like monster out of the way. Rebecca then added several cards to the mix with a call of, "Triple Ability—Activate! Blow Away, plus Wind Increase, plus Fusion Ability—Activate! Magnify!" The effects resolved one by one, with Centipoid flying over to her Gate, then Falconeer gaining 150 G-Power once, then again from Magnify.

It was now my Cybertallion with 320Gs versus Rebecca's Falconeer with 550 on Mikael's Gate—an interesting situation, but I had the means to turn this around. "Ability—Activate!" I said. "Dark Stone Help!" A Bakugan flew from my clip to transform into Subterra Tuskor, a brown creature that resembled an elephant somewhat. It stood up on its hind legs and trumpeted fiercely. It started off with 420Gs, then gained another 100 from Dark Stone Help. Together with Cybertallion, it charged towards Falconeer and sent the unfortunate beast into ball form.

Rebecca looked thoughtful for a minute as I caught my Bakugan to cheers from our meagre audience, then shrugged, set another Gate and threw out another Bakugan. "Gate Card—Set!" she said. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Ventus Mantris!" The bright green insect rose up on her newly-set Gate and brandished its clawed forelegs at the distant Centipoid.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Haos Manion!" called Mikael, as a brilliant golden sphinx appeared on my Gate. It had 400G-Power.

"Gate Card—Set! Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Subterra Tuskor!" I yelled, setting a Gate next to my original one, then tossing Tuskor onto it. "Ability—Activate! Nose Slap!" Tuskor's trunk grew longer and longer until it was about twice as lengthy as it had been, then it whipped out and swiped at Manion, who couldn't defend himself since he was on another card. I winked at Mikael while Manion eventually returned to ball form. Tuskors weren't commonly used, and I'd guessed that he hadn't anticipated such a move. Tuskor remained on my card, as he hadn't actually battled there.

It was now Rebecca's turn. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Ventus Preyas!" she cried. The reptilian creature rose on her Gate and grinned, saying, "MIP MIP MIP!" before leaping up into the air to avoid Centipoid's vicious attack. The problem here was, of course, that Centipoid was stronger by 80, as it still had the G-Power from Mikael's Power Steal. That didn't seem to bother Rebecca overly, though. "Go, Preyas!" she called. Preyas promptly changed Attribute to Haos, wereupon Rebecca commanded, "Gate Card—Open! Unstable Vortex!"

"Using that with a Preyas is a pretty good combination, you know." Jack murmured to me. I smiled, but didn't reply. As we watched, Centipoid's G-Power dropped to zero and Preyas sent it hurtling off the Gate. Then it was Mikael's turn, and—though we knew it not—we were about to see something rather unusual in the way of a guardian.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Haos Harpus!" shouted Mikael. There was a flash of light and his guardian ascended into the air above Rebecca's Mantris, screeching bizarrely, "WHO WANTS SOMMA DIS KA-BANGIN' ACTION?!" She was a white and gold harpy, and had 520Gs. She bore down on Mantris, who only had 380Gs, and buffeted the big insect every which way with a few powerful beats of her feathered wings.

"Ability—Activate! Marionette!" stated Rebecca, holding up an Ability card. I looked at her questioningly as bright green energy ropes pulled Tuskor over to the battle. What in the blue blazes of Southern Star was she doing? "Gate Card—Open!" she announced. "Duck and Win! The Bakugan with the lowest G-Power wins the battle!" _Aha. _

"I _said _this would be entertaining." Kate said to Jack, who nodded and gave a cheesy-and-retarded grin while Mantris screeched and clawed wildly at its opponents.

"Ability—Activate! Nullify!" Mikael countered. That did it. A white bolt came down and struck the Gate to pieces. Harpus gave a shrieking cry and created a huge gust of wind that caused Mantris and Tuskor to hurtle into ball form.

My turn. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Flash Cybertallion!" I shouted. My giant black robot appeared again, rising up on my Gate, which was now the only card left in the Field.

"Gate Card—Set! Bakugan Brawl!" Rebecca yelled. "Stand, Ventus Preyas!"

The green beast stood on her Gate Card. "BLAK BLAK BLAK!" he roared.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Haos Harpus!" Mikael added.

"Get ready to have yo' minds blown by my epicness and finesse!" Harpus shrieked, rising up on my Gate to join Cybertallion. Her Power Level was stronger than mine by 100, which was pretty drastic. But I figured I could handle it...

"Gate Card—Open! Dark Coils!" I yelled. This always proved handy against Haos Brawlers. Cybertallion gained 200Gs, while Harpus lost the same amount. I was now winning by 300. I looked at Mikael. Did he have a counter?

"Ability—Activate!" he said, holding up a flashing gold card. "Harpus Light Storm! This card can only be used by Haos Harpus. It takes the amount of power I'm losing by, doubles it, then subtracts it from your Power Level!" I couldn't do anything but stare as Cybertallion lost 600Gs. He was down to just 20G-Power! Harpus closed in on him and attacked violently. He didn't have a chance, and returned to ball form. Mikael returned my wink from earlier as he caught Harpus. I grimaced before taking my turn.

"Gate Card—Set! Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Arch Siege!" I announced. Siege burst into Bakugan form and flew into the sky like a dark streak. Spreading his wings, he looked amazing. He descended gently until he was just above my last Gate Card.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Haos Harpus!" cried Mikael, his Bakugan sweeping across the Field and transforming on Rebecca's Gate. And now we had all guardians three, present and accounted for. Immediately, Harpus attacked Preyas, and she seemed to have speed abilities like no other Bakugan, because with a powerful lunge, she'd performed a perfect speed take-down* and knocked Preyas off the Gate before Rebecca had a chance to open it. It was over for Rebecca, but there was one more battle to be fought.

"Gate Card—Set!" Mikael called, as his card flew onto the Field, landing next to mine. _Huh? _I looked at him in confusion. What was he doing? We each had only one Bakugan left and mine was already standing. He didn't have any choice but to battle on my card! Apparently he didn't think so, though, because he threw Harpus out onto his Gate. She screeched and glared at Siege, who wasn't looking very impressed with the odd martial-art-like dance she was performing in mid-air.

"Gate Card—Open! Void Pull!" Mikael shouted. "This is a special Gate Card that can be opened at any time. It pulls all standing Bakugan onto it. Any battling Bakugan that were not already on this Gate when it was opened have their Power Level reduced to zero!" Siege roared as he hurtled through the air, to stop once he reached Mikael's Gate. Without any further ado or preamble, Harpus attacked him as he fell out of the sky, too weak to fight her off. I wasn't about to give up on him, however.

"Ability Activate!" I cried. "Arch Reaction! Plus, Fusion Ability—Activate! Arch Void! These cards are both unique to Darkus Arch Siege. Arch Reaction returns the G-Powers of all Bakugan to their base level, and Arch Void allows Siege to absorb 300Gs of your Power Level!" A nuclear explosion shook the Field. A giant mushroom cloud rose up and then turned into a black hole which sucked the energy from Harpus and transferred it to Siege.

Siege leaped up and struck Harpus to the ground, where she returned to ball form and rolled off the Gate. I caught Siege and the dome disappeared. The battle was finished.

"Nice game, Phyra. You're improving daily." Rebecca said with a cheesy grin. I could feel myself colouring slightly at her praise, and wondered if I was, in fact, coming down with something.

"You weren't so bad yourself." I replied, masking my feelings with a charming-but-annoying smile.

Mikael carefully picked his jaw up off the ground, ceased to stand around like a stunned mullet and gave me a thumbs up. "Golly, Phyra, you're a terrific Brawler," he said with no small admiration, "and could you teach me how to smile like that?"

I chortled. "Sorry," I said, "but 'Charming-But-Annoying Smile' is an Ability card that can only be used by Phyra Vyander."

Jack groaned. "Phyra, that has got to be the worst joke I've ever heard." he said.

"Oh really?" I retorted. "It's better than _your_ joke about the Pyrus Hydranoid and the plate of nuclear _carrot cake_."

"Yeah, so put _that_ in your pipe and smoke it." remarked Dread Ripper, who had now recovered from Gryphonoid's earlier outburst.

Kate and Rebecca laughed, but Mikael looked confused. "Huh. Don't worry about it, Mikael." Jack said loftily. "They're just jealous of my comedic talents."

"What's for dinner, anyway?" I hurriedly changed the subject before Jack could start harping on about his comedic talents.

"I heard—" Jack began dramatically, but Kate cut him off.

"It's mashed potato, mashed pickles and mashed jelly beans, all stirred together." she said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, goody." I intoned sarcastically.

"Phyra," Kate said with a hint of exasperation, "if you keep moaning about whatever the cook serves, you're going to end up even skinnier than Jack, and that's saying something."

"Hey!" Jack protested, but she ignored him.

"I do _not _moan about _everything _he cooks," I stated indignantly. "I can tolerate the omelettes and the pancakes. I just don't like anything else he does." Kate didn't reply, but merely rolled her eyes.

"I think that you would be wise..." rambled Gryphonoid, while Dread Ripper mumbled under his breath, "True, except who cares about being wise?"

"Come then, my good fellows!" Jack cried. "Let us make haste and depart for the mess hall!" The rest of us didn't say anything. We just looked at him. "What?" he asked.

"Um, Jack. Dinner isn't for an hour." Kate pointed out.

"Oh." he said disappointedly.

I did a cheesy-and-retarded grin at him and he threw his BakuPod at me. "That didn't hurt," I said triumphantly, even though it _did_ hurt a bit. He laughed and started chasing me again.

"Why do they do this to themselves?" Rebecca asked of Kate.

"No real reason," Kate replied, smiling. "They're just completely insane."

"I think I'll be going now." said Mikael nervously.

"See you around the joint, fella." I called out as I was sitting on Jack, punching him. "Pop over and brawl me any time!" Mikael nodded and left.

"Phyra, get off me or I may have to scream at you." Jack's muffled voice came from somewhere underneath me.

"Now _that _I'd like to hear." I said teasingly. Without further invitation, he promptly screamed shrilly at the top of his voice. "Argh! I take it back! Stop it right now!" I yelled in agony.

Jack screamed a bit longer to make his point, then stopped as I got off him. "Don't make me do that again." he threatened.

"Definitely don't." the gathered Bakugan moaned in a hideous chorus.

"Don't worry, I won't." I muttered, clutching my ears to try and stop them from ringing.

"Well, I must be off. I have an assignment to get to." said Kate briskly.

"Good luck." Jack said.

"You too." she grinned. "Take care of those lungs, now."

"Remember the message of the Rune! Heed the warning and cherish the times of sorrow in life, for thus thou shalt learn—" cried Gryphonoid, as she picked him up.

"So, what now?" I said, after Kate had exited the arena.

"I don't know about you two," Rebecca answered, "but I've likewise got to leave, since I have a class now. Catch you both later!" So saying, she headed out after Kate, while Preyas trailed after her, going "BLIP!" at frequent but erratic intervals.

"What will we do, Phyra?" Jack wailed. "They've _deserted _us."

"Honestly, Jack," I said contemptuously, "can't you live for an hour or two without a girl around?"

"Er..." he started.

"Oh, belt up." I cut him off.

"What's your beef now?" he complained.

"Well," I stalled, not wanting to mention how I suspected I was beginning to feel about a girl myself, "the combination of detention and brawling has left me feeling rather drained, and therefore irritable. I think I'll go and read a book or something until dinner. Ugh—pickles. Why can't we get a normal cook?"

"I reckon he's fab." Jack proclaimed.

"Yes, but you're an oddball." I returned.

"Says he who talks to himself and wears Pikachu pyjamas and does those charming-but-annoying smiles all the time." Jack snickered. I rolled my eyes, gave him a playful shove and left the arena, leaving him looking slightly forlorn.

_*In a battle, it is not necessary to open a Gate Card manually: after a certain amount of time, it will open automatically. However, if the stronger Bakugan can defeat the weaker Bakugan before the Gate Card opens, they win the battle and the Gate is destroyed._


	8. Chapter Seven: One By One

**Chapter Seven – One By One**

As I reached my room, I couldn't help thinking that my life had been in complete chaos ever since the first vision I'd had all those weeks ago. Somehow, the visions were responsible for the mess I was in. The problem was that I didn't know how, and I had no way, so far as I knew, to stop them.

I sighed heavily, and flopped into a chair. I'd picked up a poetry book and was flipping through it idly, thinking that the poems inside were perhaps even worse than those of the Azgoths of Kria (although, _Ode To A Small Lump Of Green Putty I Found In My Armpit One Midsummer Morning_ was_ pretty_ bad), but I wasn't really taking it in properly. In the end I gave up and tossed the book onto my bed.

I looked up at the ceiling with eyes that didn't see, deep in thought. Siege popped out of my clip and hovered a couple of feet in front of my face. "What's wrong, Phyra?"

"I don't know, Siege." I replied slowly. "I—just can't figure out what's going on here. I almost wish I'd—no—never mind."

"What were you going to say?" he questioned.

"I was going to say _I almost wish I'd never joined the BBS_, but that's not true." I said firmly. "Regardless of how wild it gets around here, I know I've never been happier than when I'm brawling with you and mucking around with my friends. No matter what happens along the track, we'll see this through—together." I smiled at him, and he sat himself on my shoulder. I picked up my book again, feeling much happier, and started to read, knowing that we'd be together until the end.

_The dragon was coming closer... The bright white glow was becoming unbearable... Closer and closer... Was it—a Bakugan? _

I awoke, sticky with cold sweat. My heart was thumping and I couldn't get the image of the white dragon out of my head. I gradually came to terms with reality and realised that I'd gone to sleep while I was reading and fallen out of my chair. I looked at my clock and saw that it was dinner time. That surprised me, as it felt like I'd been asleep for hours.

I looked around for Siege and found him lying dormant under my book, which had slipped from my grasp and landed on the floor. He was snoring slightly. I grinned in spite of the various bruises I'd got from falling from my perch. _Like Brawler, like Bakugan. _I thought. Evidently Siege liked sleeping too. I decided not to wake him and headed off to the mess hall, since my appetite seemed to have returned. Mind you, I couldn't guarantee that it would _stay_ that way when I saw what mashed potatoes, pickles and jelly beans looked like.

I passed through the doors to the mess hall, spotted Kate and Rebecca waving at me and went to join them, beaming. "How were lessons and assignments respectively?" I inquired.

"Not bad." they replied, as Helga emerged from the kitchen, bearing dinner plates—to dispirited remarks from most of the boys and punch-drunk cheering from Alfie.

"Where's Jack?" I wondered, thinking it unusual for my friend to miss a meal.

"Search me," Kate answered. "He's probably running around on a sugar high. You know how much he likes eating chocolate before dinner..."

I laughed, then looked intently at my plate as dinner was served by a very cheerful Helga—who apparently didn't care for the favour of immature teenage boys. "Hmm... So, _this _is mashed potatoes, pickles and jelly beans." I mused, surveying the mass of sloppy multicoloured goo in front of me with interest, though also with some slight disgust. I tried it for a bit, then decided quite firmly that from now on I was going to petition to have the cook sacked. Preferably Helga, too, so we could get in a waitress with a little more _oomph_. Not that I cared about _oomph_, but it was nicer to have more of it than less.

"Young Brawlers should highly value their nutrition." Gryphonoid observed mildly. "So doth the ancient scroll in the Temple of the Rune sayeth."

"BLIP! FWAAAARP!" Preyas uttered derisively.

As we were chatting about the tournament scheduled for the following day, and I was making an announcement of very little import, I noticed Jack coming in. I waved to him, then noticed that he looked distinctly shaken. His face was white and he was trembling. "Good lord," I muttered, rolling my eyes—for I was certain that he was putting it on, as he so often did. "What's with that drama-queen now?"

Jack came up to us, pushing his hair out of his face, and I saw with a jolt that he had a nasty gash on his forehead.

"What happened to you?" asked Kate in alarm.

"You'll never _believe _what tribulations I've undergone tonight!" he groaned.

_Crikey, _I couldn't help thinking,_ even when he's injured, he _still _manages to be dramatic about everything_. "Go on, then. Tell us." I urged.

"Well," he began, "I was in my room having some wheelie chair fun time—"

If it weren't for the cut on his forehead, we all of us would have either face-palmed or rolled our eyes, as we so often did around him. Jack's _wheelie chair fun time_ basically meant spinning around on a swivel, or "wheelie" chair really fast, and then falling off on purpose. According to him, it was beaut, but none of us were willing to find out for ourselves.

"—and then," he continued, "lo and behold, who should come into my room but Benjamin Uppercut, saying that he wanted a brawl. I accepted the challenge of course, being the superior sportsman that I am, and we went down to the arena. It was quite a madcap affair—in the end, Dread Ripper beat Cycloid, but it was such a violent battle that I got injured in the process." He indicated his head. "When it was all over, Benjamin walked towards me, and he had this horrible look on his face—it sent shivers down my spine! He said—he said—that he bore a message from Kyros. He warned us not to try and win the tournament tomorrow, especially _you_, Phyra, or else something _terrible_ will happen!" Here, he ended his story with a shudder.

The rest of us didn't know what to think. Was Jack just exaggerating to make his story more interesting? It seemed highly likely—and yet, the idea of Kyros sending us a threatening message wasn't so hard to believe either. Then again, that wasn't really the issue—the real question was, did we heed the warning, or not?

The Next Day...

"Ready, gents?" asked Squadmaster Daenguard, the present official for the match. My opponent and I nodded our affirmation, and prepared ourselves for battle. Trials had started, and, it was time for the first round of four to begin. I had been paired up with Zack Ratchet, an Aquos and Subterra Brawler in my year. I shook his hand, then took out a card as he did the same. "Field—Open!" we cried.

"Gate Card—Set!" I yelled, tossing out a Gate Card which glowed purple and grew to an immense size.

Zack got out a card of his own and mirrored my action, his Gate Card flying over to land in front of me, shining with a bright blue colour as it did so. "Bakugan Brawl!" he called, as he threw a little blue ball onto his Gate, where it opened up into a... "Stand, Aquos Machete Fourtress!" A giant blue warrior with four hands appeared, wielding four huge machetes.

"Bakugan Brawl!" I returned. "Stand, Darkus Flash Cybertallion!" A big black robot emerged on Zack's Gate and cracked its knuckles, if that kind of thing is at all possible for a machine. He had a Power Level of 420, while Fourtress had one of 500.

"Gate Card—Open!" shouted Zack. Fourtress gained 250G-Power.

"Double Ability—Activate!" I replied, holding up two cards. "Dark Stone Help, plus Darkus Subterra Fusion!" The Subterra Bakugan in my clip glowed orange, then whipped over to join the battle, transforming as it did so, into... "Stand, Subterra Tuskor!" I said, as the giant brown elephant-like beast rose up with a Power Level of 420Gs, just like Cybertallion, and trumpeted boldly.

Then my second Ability kicked in. Cybertallion glowed with a dark energy, while Tuskor grew a rocky coating on his body. They each gained 150G-Power, for a total of 1140Gs, then I announced to Zack that he couldn't activate any Abilities, which left him stuck. After Cybertallion and Tuskor had ruthlessly bashed the unfortunate Fourtress into ball form, I motioned for Zack to take his turn.

"Gate Card—Set!" he shouted, throwing out another Gate Card. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Subterra Saurus!" A giant brown beast rose up on my card, akin to Jet Saurus or Spike Saurus in appearance, but without the cool armour or jets. It had 390Gs.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Subterra Tuskor!" I returned, as Tuskor joined Saurus on my Gate.

"Ability—Activate! Mud Slide!" yelled Zack. The cards switched so that the two Bakugan were now on Zack's Gate. "Gate Card—Open! Unstable Vortex!" Tuskor's G-Power was drained to zero, and Saurus charged, ramming Tuskor off the Gate with its shoulder. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Subterra Saurus!" Zack said again, as for a second time, Saurus stood on my Gate, looming high over our heads.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Flash Cybertallion!" I replied. The enormous robot towered over Saurus and raised his fists.

"Ability—Activate!" cried Zack. "Subterra Increase! My Bakugan gains 300G-Power!"

"Character Card—Open! Cybertallion!" I yelled. Cybertallion's G-Power doubled, and he defeated Saurus easily.

"Gate Card—Set!" we both called, as another two Gate Cards flew out onto the Field, one purple, one orange.

"Bakugan Brawl!" shouted Zack. "Stand, Subterra Spark Pythonoid!"

A huge brown snake reared up on Zack's Gate Card. It was covered with metal spikes that ground against the card surface, creating showers of sparks that streaked into the air before winking out one by one, only to be replaced by thousands more. It had 590G-Power.

"Bakugan Brawl!" I threw a black ball over to join Pythonoid. "Stand, Darkus Flash Cybertallion!" Cybertallion stared at Pythonoid with gleaming empty eyes.

"Gate Card—Open!" ordered Zack. "Surging Strength!" Pythonoid gave a great, screeching hiss of victory as power from the Gate flowed through his spiny, coiled body and he darted forward and crushed Cybertallion into a wreck of twisted metal, which then glowed and changed back into a ball, while Pythonoid flew back to a waiting Zack. _Time for this to end..._

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Subterra Spark Pythonoid!"

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Arch Siege!"

The two guardian Bakugan faced each other silently. For a moment, all stood still. Then I raised my hand. "Gate Card—Open! Dark Power! If the strongest Bakugan at the battle is Darkus, its opponent's Power Level is reduced to zero!" I announced.

"Ability—Activate!" countered Zack. "Tremor Switch!" The ground shook, and the Power Levels swapped.

"Ability—Activate! Arch Reaction!" I said decisively. A nuclear explosion was brought about... A mushroom cloud erupted right in the middle of the Gate...and the effects of Zack's card were obsoleted. Back to square one.

"Fusion Ability—Activate! Quake Transfer!" yelled Zack. The shaking turned into a massive earthquake that split the ground. I somehow managed to keep my balance, and once the rumbling had died down, I checked my BakuPod and saw that 200Gs had been taken from Siege and added to Pythonoid. I didn't have to look too far to find a comeback, though.

"Fusion Ability—Activate! Arch Void!" I countered.

A dark rent in space appeared from the clouds, sucked 300Gs of energy from Pythonoid and shot it back over to Siege, who flew up, twirled his staff as the diamond on it glowed bright purple and then pointed it sharply back at Pythonoid. A bolt of purple lightning shot from the diamond and stuck the snake to the ground, where it turned to ball form and rolled into the far corner of the Field.

I shot Zack a wink, then headed off as the crowd clapped and cheered—I had the next round to beat.

* * *

"Field—Open!" Round Two had now begun. My new opponent was Lester Kryermore, a Haos Brawler in the year above me. "Gate Card—Set!" we yelled as we threw out Gate Cards.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Subterra Sirenoid!" I called, sending my Bakugan over to land on Lester's Gate Card. The Bakugan transformed into a creature that was something like a mermaid, clad in brown robes. She carried a lyre, and had 340Gs.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Haos Tentaclear!" announced Lester, as his Bakugan stood on his Gate and rose to reveal what looked like a huge eyeball surrounded by writhing tentacles. According to my BakuPod, Tentaclear had 380—40 more than Sirenoid. That alone was not going to be enough for him to win, however. There was a good reason behind my favouring Sirenoid above my other Subterra Bakugan, though they were stronger.

"Ability—Activate!" I said. "Deadly Song of Stone! This Ability is unique to Subterra Sirenoid. Your Bakugan is petrified and cannot activate any Abilities. It also loses 100Gs, while Sirenoid gains the same amount!" That _ought to wrap this up. _I thought with satisfaction while the Power Levels changed, with Sirenoid's soaring up to 440 and Tentaclear's descending to 280.

"Gate Card—Open! Light Shutdown!" cried Lester, raising his hand. The Gate Card flashed and the Field was filled with a bright light. I saw that my Ability had been nullified. Tentaclear had also gained 150Gs.

_Well, two can play that game. _I thought, whipping out a second Ability. "Ability—Activate! Nullify!" I yelled. The Gate Card faded and I was back in the lead. Lester didn't have any counters, so I ordered Sirenoid to attack. She strummed her lyre and created an earthquake. Cracks spread all over the Gate Card and Tentaclear was swallowed by the biggest of them. There was a whistling noise and a moment later, a white and gold sphere hurtled out of the ground and landed at Lester's feet. I caught Sirenoid, then it was time to move on with this battle. "Gate Card—Set! Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Arch Siege!" I shouted. The angel-knight rose into the air above my original Gate Card.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Haos El Condor!" Lester replied. With a flash, his Bakugan stood on my empty Gate Card and transformed. It looked like a giant white skull with a golden headdress and a spindly stick-figure body. Its eyes had an eerie golden glow to them.

_Now _that's _one ugly Bakugan... _I thought to myself. _However, looks are not about to win this for him. _"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Mutant Mantris!" I cried. My Bakugan stood in front of El Condor and gave a hideous shrieking hiss. It was an evolved—or mutated, rather—form of Darkus Mantris. It was bigger and had a lot more legs. Its claws were twisted and wicked-looking, and its many eyes were all different sizes. My BakuPod indicated that it had 400Gs. The same as El Condor.

"Ability—Activate! Dark Mutation Pull!" I continued. "This card is unique to Darkus Mutant Mantris. It works the same as Marionette, only if I win a battle this turn, I get to recover it and swap it for another card!" Mantris screeched and dark bolts shot from its deformed claws, wrapping themselves around El Condor and moving him over to the other Gate, where Siege was waiting expectantly. "Gate Card—Open! Stand Off! No Abilities may be played!" I called. That put Lester in a no-win situation, or so I hoped.

I was in luck, it seemed, for Lester shook his head slightly as Siege swooped in on El Condor and knocked him back into ball form. I was jubilant. From here on in, it should be easy enough to win this. I took back Dark Mutation Pull and promptly switched it in favour of another card, since I wouldn't have need of it any more.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Haos Skyress!" yelled Lester, tossing his Bakugan onto the only remaining Gate—that with Mantris on it. There was the usual blinding flash of light that occurred when a Haos Bakugan stands, and I saw a creature appear that looked a lot like Kyros' Thunder Skyress, only smaller and more frail-looking. It also had no armour, while Thunder Skyress had had a crested helmet and breastplate. Armour or no, though, Skyress was a formidable opponent, and I realised that this wasn't going to be as easy as I'd thought it would be. Especially since this particular Skyress had 500Gs.

"Ability—Activate! Skyress Lockdown!" Lester continued, raising a flashing white Ability up in front of his face. My Gate Card glowed in the same white shade a moment later, and I saw that I couldn't open it. I checked my BakuPod and noticed that Mantris had also lost 100Gs. I considered attempting a counter, then thought the better of it. Even though I'd lose Mantris, I still had two Bakugan left, while Lester only had one.

Skyress bore down hard on Mantris and sent him flying off the Gate Card and crashing to the floor. I shuddered slightly at the force of the attack. Skyress was certainly a powerful Bakugan. Still, I couldn't afford to lose my concentration, not at this crucial point. I had almost won, but the next battle had the potential to turn this around completely. "Gate Card—Set!" we cried, tossing out new cards.

"Bakugan Brawl!" I shouted, throwing Sirenoid out onto the Field... Somehow, the throw didn't quite come off properly, and Sirenoid went spinning off to the side. A miss. Lester looked at me in surprise, and the spectators murmured in bewilderment. It was very uncommon for a Brawler to miss. _Keep on wondering. _I thought grimly. _You'll all just have to figure out for yourselves that I missed on purpose...only by the time you do that, it will already be too late._

Evidently, Lester wasn't going to dwell on it for long, because he pitched out his own Bakugan to the Field, saying, "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Haos Skyress!" Once more, his guardian stood, rising gracefully into the air above his Gate Card. Excellent. He'd gone for the home territory strategy. Now was my cue.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Arch Siege!" I yelled. This time, my throw was perfect. Siege burst into Bakugan form and soared into the sky above my Gate Card. I couldn't help noticing the interesting similarities and differences the two Bakugan had between them. Siege was like a man, Skyress like a bird. He was masculine, she feminine. He Darkus, she Haos. They both had wings, but hers were wings of light, his were wings of darkness... Poetic description would not win the battle for me, though, so I dropped it soon enough. Now was the time to try the new trick I'd learned the day before.

"Gate Card—Open! Void Pull!" I proclaimed. My Gate flashed, and the text was revealed. Skyress uttered a screeching cry as she was dragged over to face Siege. I looked at my BakuPod. Sure enough, it was 650 to nothing, my way. I shot Lester a cheesy grin as Siege charged, his staff merely a whizzing blur. Lester looked at me, but there was no sign of defeat in his gaze. _This isn't over yet._

"Triple Ability—Activate!" Lester roared. "Lightning Switch, plus Lightning Charge, plus Fusion Ability—Activate! Magnify!" This was a fairly typical Haos combo. The effects resolved one at a time. Lightning flashed from the sky and the Bakugan exchanged Power Levels. Then Skyress was enveloped with tiny electric charges and gained 150G-Power. Then the charges doubled in size and she gained another 150G-Power.

The Power Levels were now at 0 for Siege and 950 for Skyress. Lester had a tremendous advantage—and the crowd knew it, too. Lads of Haos Brawlers were screaming their approval. Like I said, however, that was an emblematic Haos combination...which meant I had already anticipated it. I smiled at Lester in my charming-but-annoying manner, and pulled out my last pair of cards. "Ability—Activate! Arch Reaction, plus Fusion Ability—Activate! Arch Void!"

Lester's jaw dropped as my Abilities made short work of his combo. The Power Levels changed rapidly, Siege's rocketing up to 950, Skyress's sinking to 200. Siege struck at Skyress viciously as the Darkus fans rose to their feet and cheered, and sent her to the floor. This battle was over and I was on to the next round.

* * *

While I was waiting for my turn to brawl in the third round, I noticed Rebecca standing nearby. "Hullo, Bec," I hailed, walking up to her with a grin.

She whipped around, staring, then smiled when she saw me. "Hi, Phyra." she said. "You startled me."

"Sorry. Is there a problem?" I questioned, feeling slightly concerned. "Can I help?"

"Not really," she answered vaguely. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

_You're sweet when you brush me aside, _I thought. "Come on, you can trust me."

"Well," she admitted, "you heard that warning from Kyros. Do you think there could be anything in it?"

My gaze darkened at the mention of Kyros, and I didn't answer straight away. I could easily believe that Kyros wouldn't hesitate to send us idle threats as some way of revenge, but would he really go so far as to follow through with whatever he was implying?

"I don't know, Bec." I said at last. "But what I _do _know is that I'm not going to let petty fears stand in the way of my goals. I may or may not face consequences for my actions today, but at least I'll have the satisfaction of knowing that a bloke like Kyros can't bend me to his will. We've all got to face difficult choices in this life, but we can't let ourselves be manipulated by those who believe in the wrong things. Our destiny depends on it—our very crossing to the Next World depends on it. Isn't that right?"

Rebecca thought this over, then sighed and said, "You could be right, Phyra, but you've forgotten one thing. You speak of choices, but you fail to recognise that some people don't have any choice."

I was temporarily stunned, but eventually managed to find my voice. "What do you mean? _Everyone_ has a choice." I said, not understanding what she meant. Rebecca looked at me and started to reply, but then a whistle blew and I was due to have my brawl. "Talk later." I called over my shoulder.

"Maybe." she replied, but I thought I detected something odd in her voice. Was it—sadness? I didn't have time to think about it, though. I made my way to the centre of the stadium, where my next opponent was waiting. His name was Alex Hunter, and he was a Ventus and Subterra Brawler. We shook hands and took out Gate Cards. "Field—Open!" we said loudly.

"Gate Card—Set!" I called as I set my Gate.

"Gate Card—Set!" Alex replied, throwing out a card of his own. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Subterra Spike Saurus!" A massive brown beast with spikes all over it appeared on his Gate Card. It had 420G-Power.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Subterra Mercenary Gorem!" I returned. My Bakugan rose up to join Spike Saurus and raised its sword.

"Gate Card—Open! Surging Strength!" yelled Alex, raising his hand. Saurus roared and gained 400G-Power.

"Ability—Activate!" I returned. "Hammer of Stone!" Mercenary Gorem's sword was replaced with a huge hammer, which he used to smash the Gate Card to fragments. Then he gained 200Gs.

"Ability—Activate! Fists of Stone!" was Alex's reply. Spike Saurus's fists turned into giant hand-shaped rocks, and he surged forward, ready to attack. With a single blow, Gorem's hammer was destroyed. The Gate Card reformed, Gorem lost his 200Gs and Saurus gained an extra 100Gs from Fists of Stone, so that the Power Levels were now at 400 for Gorem and 920 for Saurus. There was no way I could get myself out of that one—unless...

"Ability—Activate! Summon Shadow!" I countered. "This Ability card allows any player to add a Darkus Bakugan to the battle. If the losing player decides to do so, their new Bakugan gains 50G-Power for every Bakugan at the battle!" Right after I'd said this, a Darkus Bakugan flew forwards from my clip and stood on the card to reveal... "Stand, Darkus Horrorclaw!" I called, as an enormous crustacean stood on the card and brandished its claws. It stood with 450Gs, then gained another 150 from Summon Shadow. My Power Level was now up to 1000. I was in the lead by 80. Could Alex counter that?

"Ability—Activate! Subterra Increase!" he said loudly. Saurus gained 300G-Power.

"Ability—Activate! Black Hole!" I retorted. Saurus lost 300G-Power, which was transferred to my Power Level. I glanced at Alex, but he was finished. I signalled to Gorem and Horrorclaw, and together they attacked Saurus ferociously, causing him to return to ball form.

I caught Gorem and Horrorclaw, and grinned broadly while the audience murmured to themselves. I only had my Fusion Ability card left, but I had used all my others on purpose, knowing that if I won, Mercenary Gorem's special Ability would allow me to recover all the cards I had played during battle. I took back my cards, and prepared for my next turn.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Subterra Wormquake!" roared Alex, throwing a Subterra Bakugan onto my card. It changed into a giant creature resembling a worm, with spikes down its back and sides, and rows upon rows of horrible, fishlike teeth. I checked my BakuPod and saw that it had 500Gs.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Horrorclaw!" I yelled in reply, sending my Bakugan over to face Wormquake. "Gate Card—Open!" My Gate Card flashed, and Horrorclaw gained 350G-Power.

Alex just smiled and said, "Ability—Activate! Consolation Prize! If I lose this battle, I get to add one Ability card from my collection to my hand for each hundred G-Power I lost by, not exceeding three!"

Seconds after he spoke, Horrorclaw gave Wormquake a fierce shove that sent him flying off the Gate Card and crashing to the floor. Some of the Subterra Brawlers yelled jovially. Even_ I_ smiled a little, as Alex took out three new Abilities from his pocket. Perhaps, though, this wasn't going to be as easy as I had hoped...

"Gate Card—Set!" we both cried, throwing out Gate Cards, one glowing purple, the other flashing green.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Ventus Strikelash!" shouted Alex.

His guardian rose on my Gate in a whirling nimbus of greenish wind, revealing a bristling scorpion-like creature with a sadistic grin. "TIME FOR PAIN!" it roared, to titters from the spectators.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Horrorclaw!" I replied, right before Horrorclaw stood for the third time in a row. He had a Power Level of 450, while Strikelash had one of 550.

"Ability—Activate! Draw!" said Alex, holding up a card. Mercenary Gorem glowed orange as he flew from my clip to join Strikelash and Horrorclaw on the Gate Card. _What's he planning? _I wondered. I decided to find out for myself—by using the direct approach.

"Gate Card—Open! Power Merge! Each of my Bakugan absorbs 100G-Power from each of _your _Bakugan!" I announced, making a gesture. The Gate Card flashed. Both Horrorclaw and Mercenary Gorem gained 100Gs, for a total of 1050, while Strikelash went down to 350. I caught Alex's eye and he shot me a triumphant look.

"Triple Ability—Activate! Tornado Switch, plus Binding Wind, plus Fusion Ability—Activate! Victorious Gusts of Power!" he shouted very quickly. "Tornado Switch swaps the Power Levels, as long as yours is at least 300Gs ahead. Binding Wind prevents you from activating Abilities, and Victorious Gusts of Power allows my Bakugan to gain 100Gs in its next battle for each Bakugan you have on the Gate, as long as I win!"

"PAIN COMES NOW!" screamed Strikelash, and needless to say, that particular battle was over in a heartbeat. I wasn't defeated yet, however. Alex might have evened the score, but my determination to win was still high, and Siege was more than capable of taking Strikelash on.

I gritted my teeth and watched as Gorem and Horrorclaw were thrown off the Gate and bit the dust, while Alex caught his Bakugan with a smug look in his eye. Then he threw his Strikelash out into the Field again, uttering a cry that I couldn't hear.

I calmed myself, measured my move, took careful aim, then launched my guardian swiftly through the air. He descended gently and rolled onto Alex's Gate, to rise up gloriously into... "Stand, Darkus Arch Siege!" I announced with a smile, as the angel-like knight soared gracefully above our heads.

Alex looked at him in admiration for a few moments before pulling himself together and preparing to attack. "Gate Card—Open!" he commanded. The Gate flashed and Strikelash gained a massive 400G-Power. "Ability—Activate!" Alex went on. "Double Hurricane! My Bakugan gains the G-Power bonus from the Gate Card twice!" A powerful wind storm appeared on the Gate Card, and Strikelash gained another 400Gs. His Power Level was now up to an amazing 1550Gs.

"PAIN IS IMMINENT!" roared Strikelash, swiping at Siege with his sharp pincers.

There was only one way I could finish this. "Fusion Ability—Activate!" I yelled. "Unexpected Mutate! This card can be played at any time. I get to exchange one of my unplayed Ability cards for another in my collection!" I then took Hammer of Stone and swapped it for... "Ability—Activate! Arch Reaction!" I finished.

There was a flash and a bang, the Bakugan's Power Levels returned to their base amount. Siege sprang forward and dealt Strikelash a violent blow with his staff, causing the scorpion to fly into the air, transforming back into a sphere as it did so.

"You little ripper!" someone yelled from afar. I smiled and caught Siege, the Gate disappeared, and just like that, I was on to Round Four.


	9. Chapter Eight: A Glorious Burst

**Chapter Eight – A Glorious Burst**

I was sitting in the shade, enjoying a drink of ice-cold chilli-and-radish coffee while I waited to brawl in the fourth round, when Mikael came and sat down next to me. "Hi, Phyra." he said gaily.

"Hullo, Mikael. How's tricks?" I asked with a big smile. I'd actually managed to talk to him without mortifying myself! Then I dropped my coffee, spilling it all over my uniform. The irony of this was so irritating that I didn't even bother face-palming.

Mikael stared for a minute, then answered my question as though nothing had happened. "Pretty good, all things considered." he said brightly. "I've come up to the fourth round too, which is better than last month. I only got to Round Two then. I wonder how far I'll get this time..."

"I'm sure you'll excel with the best of them." I said warmly.

"Heck yeah, we will!" Harpus yelled wildly. "I'm the roughest, toughest Bakugan in the frooping place!" Mikael grinned briefly, then was called away for his battle. I finished my drink, then wandered around aimlessly for a bit before deciding to see if I could find Rebecca and ask her what she'd meant earlier about some people not having choices.

I made my way through the loosely packed crowd around the edges of the stadium, before spotting Rebecca a little way away in the stands, looking pretty as ever. I called out to her and waved, but she didn't respond. I started to walk towards her, but by the time I'd reached the place where she had been sitting, she had left. _Perhaps I should try a serenade next time, _I thought drily. Still, I couldn't help feeling a bit disconcerted as I returned to the stadium floor. I was certain Rebecca had caught my eye at one point there. Perhaps I'd imagined it. It wouldn't have been the first time I'd imagined things...

Then my thoughts were interrupted by the whistle and I put the matter out of my mind. Time for Round Four, and if I won this battle, I'd make the semifinals. _Concentrate, and this one will be yours. _I said to myself, doing a mental run-through of all the card combinations I'd been practising lately.

I went over to the centre of the stadium once more and faced my opponent, a girl named Jay Frylen, Aquos and Darkus Brawler. She was a year younger than me, and by the look of her, I'd have guessed this was her first tournament. All the same, I wasn't going to make the mistake of underestimating her. I'd already done that with Kyros in the last tournament, and I'd paid dearly for my folly.

"Bakugan Brawl!" Jay cried, sending her Bakugan speeding over to her Gate Card. "Stand, Aquos Limulus!" A large sea creature, something like a big blue stingray appeared. At 320G-Power, it was a target that was just begging to be destroyed.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Manion!" I yelled, as a big black sphinx rose up and growled warningly at Limulus. It had 420Gs.

I looked at Jay, and to my astonishment, she gave me a wide, cocky grin. "Gate Card—Open! Narrow Gap!" she said with some satisfaction. "All Bakugan over 350G-Power cannot activate Abilities, and lose half their base Power Level!"

The crowd gave a faint chorus of _Ooooh_. I gaped. How could I have fallen for that one? _You dumbcluck, _I reproached myself. _Haven't you just resolved not to underestimate her_? I took a deep breath and prepared myself for my next move as Jay stepped forward to take her next turn, letting fly a small blue sphere as she cried, "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Aquos Frost Warius!"

A small whirlpool appeared on my Gate Card and out of it leapt a Bakugan that bore a striking resemblance to Guard Cycloid—only it was less muscular, and more Staryanoid than Cycloid, whose only real Staryan-like feature was that it had two arms and two legs. Warius was evidently a warrior of a sort (hence the name, I suppose)—it wore a suit of armour with horns on its helm and shoulder pads. It carried a mace that was studded with nasty spikes. Its skin was covered in an icy coating of some description. This one had 490Gs.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Subterra Rocket Laserman!" I shouted, throwing a Subterra Bakugan onto the Gate. It transformed into a robot similar to Cybertallion, but bulkier and less agile. A huge blaster was mounted on its shoulder, and jets were attached to its ankles. It also had 380Gs. "Gate Card—Open! Stone Swap!" I called triumphantly. The Bakugan swapped Power Levels and Laserman gained 100Gs. He fired up the jets on his ankles and zoomed into the air, where he let fly a hail of missiles from his blaster. It looked as if Warius would be defeated. But looks can be cruelly deceptive.

"Ability—Activate! Frost Blast!" Jay shouted. "This Ability is unique to Aquos Frost Warius. Your Gate is nullified and I absorb 200Gs of your Power Level!" Warius shot jets of ice from the spikes on his mace. The Gate was covered in a frosty coating, and Laserman's joints were clogged up with the stuff. He dropped to the ground and groaned, unable to get up. Warius advanced on Laserman and administered to the dark brown robot a tremendous blow with his mace. The unfortunate Laserman was then sent into ball form.

I glared at Jay as she caught Warius. _You'd better have a good plan, woman,_ I thought grimly. _Defeat is all the bitterer when it arrives in spite of your best evasive efforts. _"Gate Card—Set!" we called. The two Gate Cards flew onto the Field and grew to an enormous size, glowing purple as they did so.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Aquos Limulus!" cried Jay. The giant blue stingray appeared on her Gate for a second time.

_Not this again, _I thought dourly. "Bakugan Brawl!" I shouted, flinging my last Bakugan onto the Gate to join Limulus. "Stand, Darkus Arch Siege!" My guardian leaped into the sky above Limulus and flourished his staff threateningly. Now to turn this up a notch—even though there was no dial to turn. "Ability—Activate!" I yelled. "Dark Seal!"

A dark coating grew over the Gate Card, preventing Jay from opening it. Did she have a counter? "Ability—Activate! Tidal Wave!" she grinned, producing from her pocket an Aquos Ability, which gleamed blue as it was activated. Frost Warius was pulled from her clip and stood beside Limulus. Their combined Power Levels amounted to 820Gs: a vast amount, but manageable, I thought, while on the sidelines, several Aquos Brawlers cheered.

"Ability—Activate! Black Hole!" I retorted, as a void appeared and sucked 300G-Power from Jay's Power Level. Jay stared in dismay as Siege gave a loud roar and thrust his opponents off the Gate. Sounds of dismay and excitement rose from the crowd in fairly equal proportions. Time to wrap this game up and head onto the semifinals.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Ninjitsu Monarus!" Jay declared, flinging a Darkus Bakugan over to my Gate Card, where it transformed into what looked like a large, black, faerie ninja.

"Beware the wrath of my twin blades!" cried Monarus, holding up two katanas.

"Yeah, beware the wrath of her twin blades!" some wiseacre sniggered from the bleachers, to general eye-rolling.

Monarus had 600G-Power, which was very impressive. "Ready, Siege?" I asked.

"Ready, Phyra." he replied.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Arch Siege!" I roared, pitching Siege over to the Gate Card, where he rose to join Monarus in the air. "Character Card—Open! Siege!" I yelled. Siege growled as energy coursed through his body and his Power Level doubled.

"Ability—Activate! Monarus Paralysis! Plus, Fusion Ability—Activate! Ninjitsu Void!" Jay replied. "These cards are both unique to Darkus Ninjitsu Monarus. Monarus Paralysis prevents you from playing Abilities and_ also _gives Monarus 150G-Power, while Ninjitsu Void transfers 300Gs from your Bakugan to Monarus!"

That wasn't good. Now Jay was winning by 50 and she'd prevented me from playing Abilities. I tried to think my way out of the pickle I'd been landed in.

"The game's up, mister!" Jay yelled triumphantly, amidst more applause from Aquos fans. "Your Bakugan is finished." I looked at her and frowned, then something struck me and my frown changed into a smile faster than Squadmaster Noth gives you detention for...well, everything, really.

"That's what you think," I returned smugly. "Ability—Activate! Darkus Power Overload! This card can be played regardless of any restrictions placed by card effects. It gives my Bakugan 100G-Power for each Darkus Bakugan on the Field, and decreases the G-Power of your Bakugan by the same amount!"

Now, a while ago, Jack had revealed to me a rather special section of the Card Post, where Brawlers convened regularly to trade and collect new Bakugan cards. In this particular section were kept all the most powerful Ability and Gate cards, available only to the best of customers. Jack hadn't told me just _how_ he'd merited access to these cards (and I wasn't sure that I wanted to know, either), but he _had _fetched me a couple of nice Darkus Abilities—and Darkus Power Overload was one of them.

The crowd let out a great burst of yelling and clapping as with that, Siege gained enough Gs to slam Monarus out of the air, and it was all over. I had done it! I had finally made it to the semifinals! I gave the spectators a brief grin, then headed off to see how my friends were going. So far, I hadn't seen them anywhere. Surprisingly enough, I also hadn't spotted any of Kyros' gang either. That was rather odd, but I wasn't about to let negative thoughts ruin my day.

I noticed Jack talking to Mikael a little way off, and I went over to join them, with a huge smile on my face. "Ho, fellow peasants," I announced excitedly, "I made it to the semis!"

"Wouldn't that rot your socks?" they said simultaneously. "So did we!"

"Ooh, that's an interesting situation." I said thoughtfully. "Now two of us are going to be paired up, and that also means that one of us is definitely going to make the Grand Final..." I trailed off, not wanting to voice my thoughts: that I wanted to be the one. I must confess, now, that I really didn't like this arrangement at all. Though it was brilliant that we'd all got so far in the tournament, I couldn't know for certain how I would feel if I was knocked out by one of my friends. Come to that, how would one of my friends feel if I was the one who knocked _them _out? I hate to say as much, but a part of me was slightly resentful that my friends had made it this far. Still, I wasn't going to mention that.

Just then, Rebecca walked up with the news that she also was to participate in the semifinals. That meant that one of us was going to win the entire tournament. The question was, who would it be? _So much for Kyros' warning, _I thought, with just a hint of unease. I collected my thoughts after a minute, and managed to smile at Rebecca.

"Well done, Bec. That makes four of us." I said warmly.

"Thanks, Phyra." she said, but I noticed that she seemed to be replying absently. She wasn't even looking at me when she spoke, for her line of vision was directed vaguely off into the distance. The rest of us turned to see what she was staring at, but we couldn't see anything unusual.

"What are you looking at?" I asked, puzzled.

"Oh, nothing." Rebecca said, hastily shifting her gaze to meet my eyes for a moment. I registered dimly that she looked rather pale, but before anyone could say anything else, she walked away abruptly with a hurried goodbye.

I stared after her, confused. Why did she seem to be avoiding me? Did she think I was stalking her. Come to that, _was _I stalking her. I tried to calculate in my head the number of times we'd been in each other's sole company in the last week, but eventually gave it up. Jack and Mikael didn't appear to be bothered by Rebecca's departure, so I mumbled something along the lines of _good luck in the next battle_, and strode off, feeling inexplicably depressed all of a sudden.

* * *

"Field—Open!" The semifinals had finally begun, and I had been paired with Jack, to my vast disappointment. I said earlier that I didn't know how I'd feel if I lost to one of my friends, but Jack was my _best _friend, which made the situation ten times worse.

If Jack felt the same way as I did, however, he certainly wasn't showing it, for he looked bright and cheerful as always. It occurred to me then that maybe Jack didn't take trials as seriously as I did. Feeling somewhat better at that, I steadied my racing emotions and tried to stop my heart from beating so hard. Jack looked at me and held up a Gate Card. I took out one of my own and mirrored his action. "Gate Card—Set!" we yelled, our Gate Cards zipping through the air to land and grow to a vast size, one glowing purple, the other gold.

"Bakugan Brawl!" cried Jack, tossing a tiny white and gold sphere onto his Gate Card. "Stand, Haos Storm Falconeer!" A gigantic bird-like monster burst into the sky, spreading its huge wings as it did so. It was a Falconeer, but it wore a breastplate which flashed like the sun...or perhaps like a bolt of lightning, as the crest on its helmet resembled. You could hear thunder from its wrist-guards when it formed a battle stance. It had 510G-Power.

"Bakugan Brawl!" I returned, my Bakugan whizzing over to my Gate. "Stand, Darkus Flash Cybertallion!" The enormous Darkus Bakugan rose up and growled (alright, we already went through this with the knuckle-cracking. Don't ask how).

"Is that _really_ all you've got, Phyra?" Jack called, throwing another Bakugan out to stand in front of Cybertallion. "How on Starsector did you ever come thus far?" I just grinned at him, knowing that he didn't really mean it. We often got carried away during brawls, as you've probably noticed. I watched the small marble-like Bakugan transform incredibly into... "Stand, Haos Gryphonoid!" A big white griffon-like beast appeared and roared at Cybertallion before taking to the air. It had a Power Level of 520Gs: higher than Cybertallion by 100.

"Maybe my Bakugan needs some back-up..." I muttered softly, picking out a card.

"Talking to yourself again, Phyra?" grinned Jack, causing one or two spectators to laugh.

"Just going over my strategy." I replied, unfazed. "Gate Card—Open! Battle of Three!" I shouted, beckoning slightly as my Gate Card flashed, while a Bakugan in my clip glowed orange, then flew to join the battle. "Stand, Subterra Gryphonoid!" A Bakugan that looked just like Jack's—apart from its brown hue—emerged and flew up to join Haos Gryphonoid in the sky. It only had 450Gs by itself, but with Cybertallion, that made 870. That was more than enough to take down Jack's Bakugan...unless he had a counter, of course.

Sure enough, Jack gave me a cheesy-and-retarded grin, and raised an Ability card, yelling out as he did so, "Ability—Activate! Summon Lightning! This card allows any player to add a Haos Bakugan to the battle. If the losing player decides to do so, their new Bakugan gains 50G-Power for every Bakugan at the battle!"

Haos Dread Ripper whizzed from Jack's clip and stood, gaining 200G-Power as he did so. "Let's dance, O ladies!" he roared, brandishing his enormous claws. A couple of female Brawlers tittered slightly at this. The Power Levels were now at 870 for me, and 1240 for Jack. That wasn't good, but I had a new card that I wanted to test out, and this was the ideal time to use it. "Ability—Activate!" I screamed. "Teetering Stability! This card can be used by all Attributes, but only if the user is losing by at least 300G-Power! I can change the effect of your last-played Ability card to that of any in my hand, and I choose to change its effect to that of...Summon Shadow!"

Jack's jaw dropped as Dread Ripper returned to his clip, while Ultra Siege was pulled from mine, and stood, gaining an extra 200G-Power. My Power Level was now at an incredible 1720, while Jack was back down to 520. I sensed, however, that Jack would pull out his favourite counter. So I got out another Ability card before he could do anything. "Ability—Activate! Darkus Subterra Fusion!" I shouted. Now Jack couldn't activate any Abilities, to say nothing of the fact that my Power Level went up by another 300.

There was nothing Jack could do. Gryphonoid hurtled off the Gate, which disappeared, while I caught my Bakugan and prepared for the next battle. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Subterra Gryphonoid!" I yelled, as the huge brown monster stood for a second time and roared at Falconeer. Falconeer screeched, and caused another crash of thunder to emerge from its wrist-guards.

The difference of G-Power was 60 in favour of Jack, but before I could bring out a counter, Jack hastily raised his hand, saying, "Gate Card—Open! Stand Off! No Abilities may be played!" _Damn. _Falconeer charged fiercely and knocked Gryphonoid to the ground with such force that the ground trembled.

I couldn't do anything to help my Bakugan as his opponent thrust him into ball form and he went rolling over the ground, landing at my feet. Now we were tied, but this battle was far from over. I looked through my cards, hoping to find one that would help the situation, then found the perfect solution... Smiling slightly, I held up the Gate Card I'd chosen and prepared to throw it as Jack raised a card of his own. "Gate Card—Set!" we cried, our Gates flying in opposite directions. Mine landed in front of him and flashed purple. while his landed in front of me, gleaming gold.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Flash Cybertallion!" I shouted, my Bakugan skimming over the shining floor and popping open on my Gate Card to rise up into a robot again.

"Bakugan Brawl!" returned Jack, a gold and white sphere skipping across to stand in front of Cybertallion. "Stand, Haos Storm Falconeer!" The bird-like beast soared above Cybertallion's head, screeching menacingly and creating a whirl of lightning around the dark robot's head.

"Time to pare that glorified microwave down to size!" yelled Jack. "Fusion Ability—Activate! Double Light! This is a special Fusion Ability that can be played at any time. It doubles the power advantage of any Haos Bakugan at the battle!" Falconeer gained 70Gs, uttered a loud cry, and attacked Cybertallion viciously. To Jack's surprise, I didn't make any move to retaliate—until the last minute, when...

"Gate Card—Open!" I commanded, as my Gate flashed brightly. "Reload! The owner of the Bakugan that loses this battle may sacrifice all their remaining Ability cards in exchange for three new ones* from their collection!"

The audience murmured their admiration as I finished speaking, and Falconeer attacked Cybertallion and threw him bodily off the Gate Card. Jack caught his Bakugan, while I put away my Summon Shadow Ability (which was now useless in any case), chose another three Abilities from the selection I had in my pocket and gathered them together with my one remaining Bakugan: Siege. Now to end this.

"Bakugan Brawl!" called Jack. "Stand, Haos Storm Falconeer!"

"Gate Card—Set!" I replied. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Arch Siege!" I tossed out another Gate Card, but threw my Bakugan onto Jack's. At last, my guardian appeared in a glorious burst of darkness, flying feathers and gleaming metal armour. I couldn't afford to lose this one, or I'd have lost the whole thing—however, with three brand-new Abilities, I imagined I'd have the advantage.

"Gate Card—Open! Mind Ghost!" cried Jack.

_What? Oh, of course. We'll both lose, but I'll have no remaining Bakugan, while Jack will still have his Dread Ripper. _I mused._ A cunning strategy...but not necessarily enough to garner victory. _"Ability—Activate! Dark Slide!" I countered. "I swap the Gate Cards!" Even as I said this, the Gate Cards shifted suddenly, so that Falconeer and Siege were now on my Gate Card. Meanwhile, Jack's Mind Ghost was now devoid of battlers, even as it detonated violently. "Gate Card—Open! Quartet Battle!" I yelled.

Jack's guardian was pulled from his clip to join the battle, rising into... "Stand, Haos Dread Ripper!" said Jack, but he sounded uneasy, and the crowd was muttering to itself in confusion as well. They were all wondering why I had used _this _Gate when I only had one Bakugan left.

_Well, _I thought, _you'll all just have to find out for yourselves. _I decided to try a cheap shot first, in order to see what counters Jack had. The Power Levels were at 650 for me, and 1030 for Jack, so I took out out a card and said, "Ability—Activate! Shadow Switch! This works the same as Lightning Switch, but it can only be used by Darkus Bakugan!"

The Bakugan swapped Power Levels and I looked at Jack to see if he had anything. Sure enough, he held up a card of his own, and predictable as always, shouted, "Ability—Activate! Lightning Switch!" Back to the old drawing board.

"Is that all you've got, Jack? Have a crack at _this_, then." I yelled. "Ability—Activate! Power Drain!" Jack's Power Level went down to 505. Was this over yet? _Evidently not. _I thought, looking at the wide grin Jack had on his face.

"Phyra," he called, "you need to learn that in order to win this game, you need to use _powerful _moves. Ability—Activate! Haos Power Overload!" Dread Ripper and Falconeer each gained 200G-Power, making their combined Power Level 905, while Siege went down to 450.

I looked first at my remaining card, then at Jack, with a growing smile on my face. "Jack," I replied, "_you _need to learn that in order to win the game, you need to stop being so predictable and using the same cards over and over. Fusion Ability—Activate! Disarming Shadow! Your Ability is negated!"

With that, my Power Level went back to normal, while Jack's re-descended to 505. Siege, wielding his staff like some incredibly amazing _thing_ that I can't describe, smote his opponents down with a powerful blow, sending them straight to the floor. The Brawlers on the sidelines, Darkus, Haos and all others alike, rose to their feet and applauded us both heartily. The battle was finished.

* * *

"Smashing game, Phyra," Jack beamed, hurrying forwards to give me a high-five while the audience continued cheering. "You did it—you made it all the way to the Grand Final!"

"Thanks, Jack. You put up a good fight." I replied. Not all was as it seemed, however. My warm words and happy feelings were tinged with guilt, for deep down I knew that if I had been in Jack's place, I probably would have run away in shame and anger without saying anything to him. Luckily, though, Jack didn't notice the painful edge in my voice. He hurried me over to join Mikael and Rebecca, who were up next.

"Greetings, comrades," he said excitedly, "You'd better fight hard, because whoever wins your match will be going up against Phyra, and he's really on a winning streak today." I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye and realised my earlier theory had been correct—Jack wasn't nearly as success-oriented as I was. Perhaps he was content with just making the semifinals—and even I couldn't blame him for that.

"You mean you won, Phyra?" Mikael asked. "Crikey—hats off to you, mate."

Rebecca also beamed and congratulated me, but I couldn't help noticing that she still seemed slightly out of sorts. _Don't mind her, _a small voice in my head said._ She's just afraid because she knows you're perfectly capable of beating her. She'd have preferred facing Jack, who she's won against on several occasions._

_That's not true. _a second voice said loyally._ Rebecca could never be that arrogant. She's probably just upset because Kyros' warning was especially for you. Perhaps _you_should be the one to worry. _I decided not to think about the issue, and instead focus on the battle I had before me. If I regretted my rashness later... Well, like I said, I wasn't going to think about it.

_*That's three Abilities __in total__, NOT three Abilities per sacrificed card._


	10. Chapter Nine: A Sharp Sting

**Chapter Nine – A Sharp Sting to a Dull Ache**

"Field—Open!" Finally, the moment I'd been waiting for ever since I'd joined the BBS: the Grand Final. I could still hardly believe I'd made it here. _What am I doing? Am I _really_ ready to enter the Advanced Squad? _I asked myself silently, while the crowd slowly worked itself up into a frenzy.

Then my opponent held up a Gate Card and I was jolted from my thoughts as I did the same. As it turned out, I was playing Rebecca, for she had won against Mikael after a long and gruelling battle, during which no one could have possibly guessed the outcome in advance. I just hoped that my battling skills wouldn't fail me now. It would be pretty harsh to have come all this way just to be defeated here.

_Still, one of us has to lose, so don't get ahead of yourself. _I thought grimly as I threw out my card, saying, "Gate Card—Set!" The Gate Card zipped out like a brightly coloured streamer, landing squarely in front of Rebecca and expanding violently so that it now had enormous proportions.

Rebecca looked me directly in the eye for a brief second while she also tossed her card into the Field, and the noise of the spectators around us seemed to die down to nothing as I saw, with a sudden and inexplicable jolt of terror, that there was an ugly glint in her eye. In all the time I'd known Rebecca, I'd never seen anything like the expression on her face at that moment. It was as if this was a duel to the death, and she was determined to come out on top. For a fraction of a second, my concentration flickered as I held her gaze...then she looked away again, and the strange sensation I was going through vanished as though it had never been.

"Bakugan Brawl!" yelled Rebecca. "Stand, Ventus Thorn Wormquake!" A giant worm-like Bakugan appeared on her Gate, coloured poisonous-green and covered in spiny growths. It uttered a shrill, shrieking cry.

I checked my BakuPod and saw that it had 580G-Power. I then looked at the Bakugan in my clip, chose one and sent it whizzing onto the Field with a quick flick of my wrist, saying, "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Subterra Sirenoid!" There was a rippling on Rebecca's Gate Card, and out of it emerged a mermaid in robes of brown, playing softly on her lyre. "Ability—Activate! Quicksand!" I yelled. Instantly, the Gate Card turned to a heaving, shifting mass of sand, thereby preventing Rebecca from opening it.

Wormquake screeched as it was pulled beneath the treacherous surface. The best part about the card I'd just played was that if the opponent was Ventus (which it obviously was), 150G-Power was transferred from it to Sirenoid. Rebecca started to pull out a card, but I informed her that her Bakugan was trapped, and couldn't activate any Abilities. With that, I ordered Sirenoid to attack, and she promptly bore down hard on her victim.

With a powerful strike of her lyre, Wormquake gave a final screech of agony before returning to ball form and flying through the air to land helplessly at Rebecca's feet. Sirenoid also changed back to ball form and flew into my waiting hand. _That was easy, now for the next one. _I thought, while there arose a smattering of applause from the stands.

Rebecca picked out another Bakugan from her clip and hurled it over to my Gate Card, crying, "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Ventus Gorgonoid!" A demonic green gargoyle appeared and rose into the air, flapping its wings and roaring a challenge. I saw that it had 590G-Power

"Bakugan Brawl!" I returned. "Stand, Darkus Hornet Striker!"

A large black bee-like creature stood on the card and hovered a slight distance away from Gorgonoid's head, buzzing dangerously. According to my BakuPod, it had 430G-Power. At first, I merely went over my strategy, but then with a start, I realised what I'd done. Rebecca was afraid of bees! Playing on her fears was not only a cowardly strategy, but also a despicable act that no half-decent person would pull on their friend. I looked frantically over at Rebecca, expecting to see her turn pale. However, she didn't so much as flinch at the sight of my Bakugan. How could that be?

As there was no other reasonable explanation I could muster, I supposed she'd either gotten over her fear, or else she was too busy concentrating on the match to worry about it. Neither theory was particularly satisfying for some reason...but I figured that it didn't really matter at this point, so I dismissed the whole thing for the time being. "Gate Card—Open! Shadow Swap!" I announced, making a sweeping movement with my hand. The Bakugan swapped Power Levels, then Hornet Striker gained 100Gs for a total of 690G-Power, while Gorgonoid now had 430G-Power.

"Ability—Activate!" replied Rebecca. "Wind Reversal! The Gate's effect is reversed!" At that, Hornet Striker lost 100Gs, then the Bakugan swapped Power Levels again, then Gorgonoid gained 100Gs.

I decided to save my Ability cards, as this brawl had yet to be finished. Gorgonoid howled in triumph and attacked Hornet Striker without mercy, sending the unfortunate insect to the ground with a slash of his claws. The Gate vanished, Rebecca caught her Bakugan and it was now time to set some more Gates. "Gate Card—Set!" we both yelled, our Gates flying past each other and landing on the gleaming floor to shine with colour and grow to an enormous size.

"Bakugan Brawl!" shouted Rebecca, pitching a tiny green sphere over to my Gate Card, where it opened up into... "Stand, Ventus Gorgonoid!" Again, Gorgonoid rose into the air above my Gate Card and gave a shriek of defiance.

"Bakugan Brawl!" I returned. "Stand, Subterra Sirenoid!" The mermaid appeared on my Gate Card and discreetly sat as far away from Gorgonoid as it could. "Gate Card—Open! Gravity Plus!" I stated. There was a flash and suddenly Gorgonoid plunged to the floor like a stone sinking to the bottom of a river. Gravity Plus was a Command Card that forces any flying Bakugan to return to the ground. They also lose 200G-Power, while any non-flying Bakugan gain the same amount. That said, the Power Levels now stood at 540 for Sirenoid and 390 for Gorgonoid. "Finish him _now_, Sirenoid!" I yelled.

Sirenoid started to obey my order, but before she'd reached Gorgonoid, Rebecca held up a pair of cards and said, "Ability—Activate! Wind Increase! Plus, Fusion Ability-Activate! Magnify!" A fierce gust of wind shook the Field and I saw that Gorgonoid had gained 150G-Power from Wind Increase, then another 150G-Power from Magnify. He was now at 690, and as I didn't have a counter, I was forced to watch him ruthlessly pummel Sirenoid into oblivion (Oh dear. Now _that_ sounds like something Jack would say). Many of the Ventus Brawlers began to cheer.

I searched through the rest of my cards, then saw my move. "Time to even the score." I muttered to myself. I took the last Bakugan from my clip, while Rebecca caught Gorgonoid. She then sent him straight back over to her Gate Card. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Arch Siege!" I cried, as Siege burst forth from his sphere form and soared up to meet Gorgonoid in the air.

"Gate Card—Open! Battle of Three!" called Rebecca, as the last Bakugan in her clip glowed bright green and flew onto the Gate Card, opening up into... "Stand, Ventus Angelo Preyas Alpha!"

"What?" I gaped. Preyas had evolved! As I stared, her guardian stood up and I saw a creature that looked quite a lot like the previous Preyas, only it had white feathered wings, and wore a silver-white suit of armour. I then recognised it from a book I had read on Bakugan evolutions. Preyas, apparently, followed quite a unique evolution line: depending on certain variables, he could actually morph or increase into one or more of many different Preyas sub-types. Angelo Preyas Alpha was a relatively uncommon type, but I had heard that once in a while, the evolved Preyas will turn out to be not one, but _two_ different Bakugan in one ball, known as _Preyas II_.

Back to the brawl, Rebecca's new Preyas had 600G-Power, seemed to be able to control Haos powers as well as Ventus, if you can believe that, and looked to be a fair match for my Siege, particularly since it was teamed up with Gorgonoid, whose Power Level made the total up to 1190.

Now to see if I could finish this. "Ability—Activate! Shadow Switch!" I yelled, as the Field went dark and the Power Levels swapped. I wasn't particularly confident that this would be enough, since it was such a common move, but I figured I might as well take the obvious choice first.

"Ability—Activate! Hurricane Shutdown!" replied Rebecca, nullifying my Ability with the flash of a card. I glanced at her, and saw once again the horrible look in her eye. It made me want to run and hide somewhere where she'd never find me... But I couldn't run. I had no options other than to stand and fight to the bitter end—regardless of whether that end would be bitter for me, her, or both of us.

"Ability—Activate! Power Drain!" I screamed, hurling my last two cards into the air above my head. "Plus, Fusion Ability—Activate! Arch Void!" The cards gleamed brightly before my eyes, then activated, causing the Power Levels to change in the mere blink of an eye. Mine zoomed up to 950, hers plummeted down to 295.

Siege roared with a kind of delighted fury as energy coursed through his body and surged out of the tip of his staff, creating an enormous energy beam that blasted his opponents furiously. They were sent careening off the Gate and crashing to the floor. There came a sound like a thunderclap as the crowd leapt up as one and let fly with deafening applause, screaming and clapping. I'd done it! I'd won the Grand Final! I was the champion of the tournament! I was—dizzy, weak...

I dropped to my knees, clutching my head in agony as everything went black.

_Darkness was surrounding me... A white dragon coming towards me... Was it—a Bakugan? ...It was! It was so close now that I could almost touch it..._

"_Phyra," it said..._

"_How do you know my name?" I asked it, finding suddenly that I could speak again._

"_I know more about you than just your name, Phyra Vyander. I know what you stand for. I know what you will face. I know what you will suffer..."_

"_What?"_

"_I have not come to you in order to discuss this, Phyra. I have come to tell you that I have chosen you."_

"_Chosen me? What are you talking about? ...Who _are _you?"_

"_My name... I don't—"_

"Phyra!" A loud voice brought me into reality, and I realised that I was surrounded by anxious people. _I must have collapsed right after the battle. _I thought fuzzily, struggling to get to my feet. As everything came into focus, I saw that the person calling to me was Rebecca, who had evidently been trying to rouse me from my unconscious state. "Are you alright? What happened?" she asked frantically.

I looked at her before answering and thought she might have been crying, but perhaps it was just my imagination. "I'm fine." I replied, getting shakily to my feet, "I don't know what happened, but I think it's over now."

We pushed our way through the tight knot of squadmasters and medics who had gathered around us, and after a few brief questions, I was allowed to go indoors for the time being. Rebecca explained that she'd thought that her last attack had injured me. I was unhappy at seeing her guilt, and assured her that I hadn't been harmed. I wished I could tell her what had _really _happened, but I'd decided it was best that I keep the visions to myself, at least until I worked out what they signified.

I realised that Rebecca was still talking, almost tearfully, and put my thoughts aside so I could pay more attention. "Listen, Phyra," she was saying, "I'm really sorry I've not been myself lately, avoiding you and all. But I've decided to tell you the truth." She took my arm and we made our way inside, to my room.

"I told you when we met," began Rebecca, "that my father sent me to the BBS to train, but the real reason I'm here is that one day, his unit was sent out on some hugger-mugger job for the king out in the Sector. I don't know what he was doing, or what happened. All I know is neither he nor any of his men ever returned. Since my mother died of cancer a few years ago, I thought I should come out to this sect, where I still had something of a connection with my father, and had hopes of receiving news of him if ever there came any. So here I came. As for my behaviour lately, I've just been so worried. It's been months since he disappeared, and I don't know what to do—" Here she broke off, tears springing to her eyes as she looked away, clenching her fists. I couldn't do anything except stand there numbly and try to comfort her.

I knew how Rebecca felt, for I didn't have any parents either. My mother and father had both been killed when a group of rogue Sektarii attacked our home town of Novernford, up in the Northwest Arm. Since the small collection of guards we'd had were no match for the power of the Sektarii, the entire town had been destroyed, and everyone in it killed. Except for me, that is.

I'd been up in the Northern Arm when the incident came about, starting an apprenticeship with Jet Calforth, a metalworker in Torrenius city. I was eleven at the time, and when I'd got the news, I had decided then and there that the best way forward was to reach a higher level of power than our guards had had, that if I were ever forced to defend myself—or others—I wouldn't fail as those men had failed my parents, their friends, their neighbours...

So I'd left Torrenius three years later and arrived here, determined to learn the art of Bakugan brawling, to master it and become the most powerful Brawler in the dimension. It was quite unheard of for a child to enrol without the help of a parent or guardian—for I had no family left, and my legal guardian was in intensive care due to a rare toenail disease—but I'd passed the exam, and it so happened that they had heard of my father, General Patrick Vyander, who had been one of the king's most trusted soldiers. On the basis of these two points, I'd been accepted, in like manner to Rebecca, and had soon begun to prove myself.

I didn't talk about my past to anyone. Preferring to avoid the memories, I merely told those who asked that my parents had caught an illness and died in hospital. I knew, therefore, how hard it was for Rebecca to tell me as much as she had. I did my best to console her, and soon she was, if not back to her old smiling self, then nearly so—and free of worry for the moment, which was more important. She bid me farewell, and departed for her room, intending to study or some such. I watched her go with mingled feelings of happiness and guilt. I hadn't forgotten her words._ "I've decided to tell you the truth."_

Rebecca had told me much more than I needed to know, though it was painful for her, and yet I was holding back from her and all my other friends... For a wavering moment, my resolve nearly broke. I almost went rushing after her, meaning to tell her all about the visions, my fears, and everything, as she had told _me _everything...but something held me back, and eventually I turned away. But not before a single tear had trickled down my cheek and landed on the floor with a soft _splat_.

One Week Later...

I cautiously raised my head above the boulder I'd been crouching behind, and peered into the gorge. Empty. I came out of my hiding place and started walking slowly forwards, keeping my eyes peeled for any sort of danger. If it hadn't been broad daylight, I'd have felt something like the protagonist in _Slender_.

A great many events had taken place in the past week, the chief of which was that my friends and I had all been accepted into the Advanced Squad—and let me tell you that it was definitely even _better_ than we'd imagined. As regards the tournament, I'd received a rare new Ability card for Siege as my special award for coming through the Grand Final victorious. In addition to that, there was the admiration of all my friends and classmates, which was something I wasn't particularly accustomed to. I'd _even _got away with talking to myself, once.

The nightly aspect of things was good, too. For the first time I could remember since the visions had started, I'd actually managed to sleep the whole of the previous couple of nights through without being bothered by darkness and white dragons and other bizarre things. Hopefully this would continue, but I'd just have to wait and find out.

To return to the topic of the Advanced Squad, today, Jack, Mikael, Rebecca and I were undertaking our first ever assignment. We'd been transported over to an area in the northeast sect of the Outer Rim, where there had been reports of a ball-lightning beast rampaging through the rugged hills and quarries, getting slightly too close to the Northeast Arm for comfort. Our job was to go and confirm these reports, and eliminate the beast if possible.

We were determined not to fail the assignment, and so I had earlier suggested that we split up and go in four directions, in an attempt to cover as much ground as possible. The others had readily agreed, and so we'd parted ways. Jack and Mikael had headed south and east respectively, and Rebecca west, which meant that I went north, into the heart of the mountains.

We'd each been given a field generator, which was a new kind of technology that we were testing. It looked like a small disk, about three and a half inches across, and one inch high. When you placed it on the ground and activated it, it created a huge bubble which enveloped all the surrounding area and acted like a Bakugan Field. The idea of this function was that you didn't need a Gate Card to get in—therefore, you could bring your enemies in alongside you without forewarning—and you also didn't need to set Gate Cards or anything: you could just throw the Bakugan down and stand them as they were. Basically, the purpose of these generators was that you could, if needed, summon your Bakugan to help you out of a tight spot, and use their powers to stage a real-life battle without all the gameplay rules and things.

Suddenly, there was a loud roar behind me. I turned around, somehow knowing already what I would see, and there it was: the ball-lightning beast. Standing on the ground, it loomed about ten feet above my head. I backed away slowly, but that didn't really help, because it just moved forward not-so-slowly. It looked something like a tangle of energy bolts and sparks and the like—bright red, roughly spherical and hollow, with long branch-like feelers spiralling off this way and that to serve as legs. It didn't have a head, so to speak, but two hideous green eyes and several nasty-looking teeth poked randomly out of its body in queer places.

I stared at the creature in terror (and perhaps disgust), and it roared again and shot bolts of electricity at me from the tips of its tendrils. Dodging as best as I could, I sent out a distress signal on my BakuPod. I then managed to pull out my field generator and throw it down to the ground, pressing the activation button right before I did so.

There came a huge shock wave, followed by a multicoloured transparent bubble of light which, as I described before, surrounded us and most of the landscape around us. Now to see if it worked—and I dearly hoped so, or I'd be lucky not to end up in ashes before my friends reached me. I fished around in my pocket and took out Siege. I hadn't brought any other Bakugan, intending to travel as light as possible, but I knew he'd see me through this.

"Bakugan Brawl!" I yelled, hurling him over to stand in front of the beast. Would he be able to transform in this atmosphere? Yes, he would—and did. Up he rose, spreading his wings and preparing to fight. I decided to give him a bit of a boost. "Ability—Activate! Dark Flame!" I shouted. Siege shot jets of black fire from his staff. The beast roared in pain as they wrapped themselves around the its body, squeezing its life out. "Ability—Activate! Dark Energy!" I continued. Siege glowed with power. It almost looked like he himself was on fire. He summoned the energy inside his body together, forming it into a massive beam which he then shot at his enemy, causing it to give out a horrible shriek.

I raised a third card and prepared to activate it, when I felt something hit me on the head and I knew no more.

* * *

A painful throbbing in my skull brought me to consciousness. I then realised that I was being dragged roughly to some unknown destination by two or more unknown abductors.

The ground under my feet felt smooth and even, so I guessed we were inside a building of some sort. I couldn't see anything, and from the way my breathing felt muffled, it seemed as though a bag was over my head. I listened to the low muttering of my captors for a few minutes, and tried not to imagine what they might want with me. I felt a thrill of fear go through my body and wondered miserably where my friends were.

Then I found that we'd stopped. It seemed we'd reached our destination. The bag was pulled off my head, and I was shoved brutally to the floor, landing on my stomach. My chin hit the ground hard, and I tasted blood. Through the pinpricks of light now bursting in front of my eyes, I could dimly make out a pair of feet standing motionless, a few inches away from my eyes. I looked up as best as I could, and saw that the owner of those feet was... "So, Vyander, we meet again." Kyros, the ultimate deliverer of cliché, corny one-liners.

"What do you want with me?" I spat, blood now trickling down the side of my mouth. One of the Staryans standing beside me gave me a kick, accompanied by an order to keep quiet. I noticed that apart from Kyros and myself, the only people in this room were adults. So much for Kyros' _friends_ back at the BBS.

"Well, Vyander," Kyros said in what he probably thought was a smooth voice, "as it happens, I want many things... However,_ you_ are only able to give me one of them."

"I'll never give you anything." I said angrily.

Kyros didn't seem disconcerted by my outburst. On the contrary, he just grinned, and that grin gave me more unease than if I had seen murder in his face. "Actually, I think you will," he returned. "You see, you don't have a choice, for the thing I want from you happens to be..." He paused just long enough to add suitable dramatic tension. _"Revenge." _He turned to one of the guards standing beside me. "Did you empty his pockets?" he inquired sharply.

"Aye aye, cap'ain." the dark, burly Staryan answered. "He was carrying these." So saying, he held out my field generator, the small supply of Ability cards I'd brought with me, my BakuPod, and...Siege.

Kyros looked at my guardian with a hideous sneer, and, picking him up—to my silent fury—spoke disdainfully to the guard. "I have no use for any of those other things." he said. "Throw them into the furnace." The guard promptly exited the room, but I didn't spare a thought for any of my gear. My eyes were fixed on Siege, whom Kyros was carrying over to a dodgy-looking contraption affixed to the wall. It was a glass jar with a load of tubes and wires attached to it.

As I watched with growing alarm, Kyros turned back to me, a passable imitation of a diabolical smirk on his face, and said, "Do you want to know what this is, Vyander? Well it doesn't matter if you want to or not, because I'm going to tell you anyway. It's a device I invented especially for this day, a device with only one function: destroying Bakugan. I have waited many a moon now for this moment—the moment you get to watch your precious guardian _die_." With that, he dropped Siege into the jar, ignoring my frenzied pleas for Siege's release, and flicked a switch at the side of the device.

In desperation, I scrambled to my feet and would have made a dash for the device if several guards hadn't grabbed me and held me back. I started to struggle vainly, when a horrible, piercing cry was heard coming from the jar. Siege was being blasted with some kind of light beam which came at him from all sides. "Stop it!" I screamed in anguish, watching with a kind of spellbound shock while Siege was disintegrated in front of my very eyes. "Stop it, you devil!"

The terrible yelling continued for about a minute, during which I tried with all my might to free myself—to free Siege—but all to no avail. Eventually the beams got so bright that I could no longer see my guardian. Gradually the shrieks died down, the beams faded, and...nothing was left but ash.

I sank to my knees and stared at the remains of my guardian—my friend—in despair. I thought of all that we'd been through together, of the day I'd chosen him and promised to keep him safe...and tears began to stream down my cheeks. I raised my head as Kyros laughed maniacally. A hot burst of fury surged through me, taking control of my sanity, and I sprang up with hatred in my heart. "Murderer!" I screamed. "You killed him! You—" Spurred on by my anger, I rushed forward and threw myself on Kyros, attacking him with all the strength I could muster. My eyes were blinded by tears, I could see nothing but a red blur, and yet I punched and scratched and kicked him over and over again. I jumped on him and dragged him to the ground, intending to throttle him—but he managed to choke out an order to his guards, who came and pulled me away.

Panting, Kyros stood up and surveyed me darkly, wiping blood off his face. His gaze no longer held any trace of amusement. You could, quite literally, say that he was now deadly serious. I was too drained physically and emotionally to care right now, though. My rage was gone, and all that remained was grief, and despair. "Well, Vyander," Kyros said menacingly, "I see you haven't learned anything from the last lesson I taught you, so perhaps you need another one." He turned to one of the guards, presumably about to say something, when a door opened and in walked Rebecca.

_Bec, you came to save me! _I thought wildly.

"Ah, Rebecca." Kyros acknowledged. "You're here at last."

"What?!" I yelled frantically.

Kyros looked at me, and for a second, a gleam of amusement reappeared in his eye. "Oh, sorry," he said sarcastically. "I should really have mentioned that Rebecca works for me." He paused. "Well, I say _works_. Not to imply she gets paid or anything..." I looked wildly at Rebecca, hoping against hope that she would say it wasn't true. She looked back at me, and though her face was sickly white and gleaming with sweat, she didn't attempt to deny it. Kyros gave a snicker at the look on my face, then turned back to Rebecca and held out his hand expectantly. Rebecca stepped forward, produced something from her pocket and handed it to him. It was my missing Pyrus Ability card.

"It was _you _who stole my Ability card?" I burst out, too shocked to realise how idiotic I sounded.

Kyros gave me a look which said plainly that _he _realised how idiotic I sounded. "Of _course _she stole it, you dumbcluck!" he said, a hint of exasperation making its way into his voice. "Did you not hear me? She's on _my _side. Actually..." A thoughtful expression appeared briefly on his boyish features, and then he spoke again. "'Fraid I'm gonna have to monologue a bit here," he drawled. "And before you ask why, I'll tell you why, it's because it's in my _contract_, so _there_."

He poked his tongue out at me, then proceeded with what can only be classified as a long, irritating, stereotypical evil person plan-revealing speech. "I needed this Ability card," he began, "but I knew that you would suspect me if it were stolen. So I ordered Rebecca to fetch it for me, while I made sure that Nicholas, Rianna, Benjamin and I attended an enrichment class so as to have an alibi—"

"But I _saw _Nicholas in the corridor that day." I interrupted, more because I was already sick of listening to him than because I really cared. "How do you explain that?"

"I _told _you that you were imagining things," Kyros continued with some irritation. "So stop ruining my speech. You can ask Master Kerrik about the class if you wish. Now then—I had Rebecca steal your card, the plan being that she bring it to me when the coast was clear. Of course, _you _had to interfere, and I was expelled, partly, I suppose, because I'd made a bit of a boob earlier in the arena and let slip what I shouldn't have, courtesy of my argument with you." He broke off and glowered at me for a second, then continued loftily. "So the long and short of it is, I had to find another way to recover the card. I told Rebecca before I left, then, to win the next tournament at any cost, that she might make the Advanced Squad and be able, ergo, to set up an encounter with me on an assignment." Here, I recalled vividly the awful look that I'd seen in Rebecca's eye as we'd battled.

"To help that plan along," Kyros went on, "I sent you a warning via Benjamin, telling you not to try and win. I should have known by then, of course, what a stubborn, vainglorious, self-worshipping simpleton you are (and I can think of a lot of other words to add to that list, believe me), that you wouldn't pay my warning any attention. So when I heard that you had all made it to the Advanced Squad, I formed another plan: if you and Rebecca should be sent on an assignment together, she was to follow you, give my men your location, and bring me the Ability once you were captured. Naturally, you played right into my hands, Vyander, the splitting up and all. Rebecca tells me that taking different directions was your idea, was it not? If so, you can think of your Bakugan's death as being your own doing."

At this point, Kyros ended with another evil laugh. My head went down, and my mood darkened even further. Rebecca did not join in with Kyros, however. She just looked at me as though she were trying to say something, but couldn't. I glared at her, and she averted her gaze. "I just hope you're happy with yourself," I said to her bitterly, "You betrayed us. You betrayed _me_. Siege is dead, Kyros has his hands on that Ability card—and Fate only knows what he will do with it. Any amount of evil could result from this situation, and it's _all your fault_."

At this, Rebecca seemed about to say something, but I turned away, indicating that I had no wish to hear anything she had to tell me. Behind me, I heard Kyros muttering to her, "Put this Ability card in that box with the others. I will examine it later, but right now, I must deal with this...waste matter." He made a disparaging gesture in my direction, and I looked at him with unfathomed loathing as a particularly large guard moved towards me, uncoiling a whip as he did so. By this time, I was too exhausted to make any move to evade the blows or try to defend myself in some manner, and I felt the harsh, fiery sting of the lash several times before merciful blackness overtook me.

"_Phyra," The dragon was speaking to me._

"_Who are you?" I cried, throwing up my hands in despair._

"_My name... I don't know...or perhaps I do, after a fashion. I am Pyrus Dragonoid. I am the last of the Pyrus Bakugan." Suddenly, the white gleam that had enveloped it for so long vanished, leaving a magnificent Pyrus dragon-shaped Bakugan behind. It came even closer and picked me up in its claws."Phyra, I have chosen you to be my companion. Come to me." _

_A flash of light..._

I picked myself up off the floor, feeling sick and dizzy from loss of blood. My arms and back were covered in horrible cuts, and I had bruises from when I'd collapsed—a sensation I was growing steadily more familiar with. My top was reduced to a few scraps of bloody cloth on the floor, and my whole front was dripping red from the scarlet puddle I'd been lying in for a fair length of time.

Having deduced this much, I then realised that someone was calling to me. I looked around, but there was no one there. Kyros, Rebecca and the guards had all gone somewhere else, presumably into another part of the building.

Suddenly, Jack and Mikael burst into the room. "There you are, Phyra!" exclaimed Mikael.

"But what evil hath befallen thee to render thine most becoming anatomical figurine unto such a sorry-looking state?" Jack chimed in, stumbling a great deal over his grammar as he adopted a vaguely Shakespearian tone.

I was in too much agony to face-palm, so I contented myself with rolling my eyes. "I'd rather not go into the juicy details right now." I mumbled.

"Where's Bec?" Mikael queried.

I hesitated. "She's gone." I informed the two of them of Rebecca's treachery, and they responded with the expectable amount of shock. I didn't really care much about Rebecca at the moment, though. All I wanted to do was get out of the place. I asked Mikael how they had got in, and he said that they'd tracked Rebecca's BakuPod and found a telepoint which had brought them to our present location. I then questioned them as to the whereabouts of the nearest exit, and Jack began to lead the way. First, however, I glanced around the room and saw what I was looking for: a box.

I went over to it, and saw that it was locked, but I was too angry to let that stop me. I turned to Kyros' device and wrenched from it a metal bar which I used to break the lock. Opening the box, I saw a small stack of about five Pyrus Ability cards, with mine on top. I re-appropriated my own card, then decided to nick the rest for good measure. I had no idea what Kyros wanted with the things, but I was fairly certain that the world in general would be better off if he didn't have them. I stuffed the cards in my pocket, then followed the others out of the building.

On exiting, I didn't feel any better. In fact, I couldn't shake off the sensation that we'd escaped a bit too easily. But that was stupid, wasn't it? There was no way Kyros would have _wanted _me to get away...was there?

* * *

We made our way to the telepoint that would take us back to the mountains, and Jack and Mikael informed me that in mine and Rebecca's absence, they had located and destroyed the ball-lightning beast. _Well, I suppose that's _one _less thing to worry about. _I thought morosely, as we arrived and blazed our figurative trail to the next destination: our own telepoint, which transported us to and from the BBS facilities. We entered its beam and were instantly zapped over to the BBS labs, where we were congratulated on the success of our mission.

"Excellent work, you three," said Squadmaster Kerrik, who worked part-time in the lab. "But where's AC Fletcher?"

"Umm...I'm afraid we lost her." I lied, feeling even blacker than before as the pain of Rebecca's betrayal deepened inside me. "We split up and then her BakuPod signal died. We sent out a message, just in case, so she should return here if she receives it."

"Very well." Kerrik replied, not noticing my discomfit. "If you'll hand over your field generators, you're free to go and join the other cadets for dinner. I'll organise to have a search party sent out to look for Rebecca."

Mikael and Jack promptly gave him their generators and assured him of their success during testing. I didn't really have any choice but to say that the ball-lightning beast had destroyed mine, which he wasn't very happy about—but he didn't say anything, and we exited the building, debating in low voices amongst ourselves on what to do next.

"I think we should see if we can meet up with Kate in the mess hall." said Jack. "She should know about...well, you know..." I noticed as he spoke that even _his _cheerful spirits were dampened by the recent events. I told him and Mikael to go on ahead without me and tell Kate about Rebecca. As for me, well, I was still upset about Siege, and having learned of Rebecca's secret was more than I could bear. I went to my room and threw myself onto my bed, weeping bitterly.

After a while, the pain gradually began its transition from a sharp sting to a dull ache, and I was too tired to cry any more. I wearily changed out of my clothes, and as I did so, remembered the Pyrus Ability cards in my pocket. I pulled them out and stared at them despondently, so weary and grieved that all other emotions had left me, and any curiosity I might have felt under different circumstances was quenched before it even appeared.

_So much pain, so much fighting...and all over such stupid things. If I had just left Kyros alone when my Ability card was stolen, Siege mightn't have— _I broke myself out of my thoughts and shoved the cards into my drawer, not wanting to think, not wanting to feel, not wanting to remember...

_Siege. _My head hit the pillow, but it was a long, lonely time before sleep came.

**A/N:** And now the terrible truth-that Phyra is one of those bloody cliché orphaned heroes-is revealed. As a piece of meaningless trivia, I might point out that the reason I wrote him that way was because domestic family scenes were not my forte, so I'd been purposefully neglecting to put his parents into the picture at all. (This also accounts for why the BBS is a boarding school, by the bye.) Then I realised eventually that I couldn't just never mention them at all, so kill them I did. Nowadays, of course, I'm much better at domestic scenes. My representations of filial love generally involve people throwing things at each other and parents annoying the crap out of their kids by behaving very eccentrically.

As another side note, I'd like to assure you that my plot twists will become much less predictable later on in the story.


	11. Chapter Ten: Loss and Finding

**Chapter Ten – Loss and Finding**

I went through the whole of the next day in a near zombified state. I didn't hear a word anyone said, and looking back, I'm sure that not a single thought passed through my head...except one. _Siege. _I hadn't told anyone about my terrible loss yet, for though I knew they'd find out sooner or later, I just couldn't bear to see the looks of sympathy and concern that I knew would appear on their faces when they found out. The whole thing was too much, too horrible. If I knew anything at all then, it was that I didn't want pity or compassion. I didn't want to be consoled.

Grief had taken over my mind, and a heavy stupor settled itself over my despairing soul as I heard the awful screams again and again, saw the ashes, heard Kyros' hideous laughter over and over... I felt a burst of rage repeatedly flooding my mind.

Some people might think that losing a Bakugan is far too ridiculous a thing to get so worked up over, no more serious a circumstance than losing your musical instrument, or your laptop, or your cat, perhaps: a dire blow, yes, but not worth agonising endlessly about. I knew better. People such as this know nothing of what a Bakugan is. To them it is merely a pet, or a weapon, even just a fancy talking toy. To me, Siege had been as dear a friend as any one of my fellow cadets. Bakugan are not merely animals, they are intelligent creatures with souls and emotions, like us. They think and feel just like we do, and a partnership with your Bakugan can be just as strong a bond as that which links you to your best friend—stronger, even, for while you can only see your friends some of the time, your Bakugan will always be there for you. _Not Siege, though. He's gone forever._

I sat in an empty classroom, waiting for lunch period to finish, and I remembered the happy feelings I'd had the day before the tournament, and the words I had spoken floated around in my head like dust in a dark room: _"We'll see this through—together." Together. _I thought dourly. _Very likely indeed. _I tried to dwell on something else, and remembered the vision I'd had just after Siege—

In a furious haste, desperate to divert my mind from—_that_, I rushed into my room, went over to my drawer and pulled Claws Furiously Burning out. Since it was somehow connected to my visions, maybe there was a clue hidden on it somewhere that would help me unlock this mystery. I examined it carefully, scanning its surface for something I hadn't noticed before... It looked the same as it had when I'd first found it. In frustration and anger, I hurled it back into its box and slammed the drawer shut.

_What am I going to do? _I thought dully as my anger drained slowly out of my system, leaving behind nothing but a heavy sadness.

* * *

The following week found me still mourning the loss of my guardian, except that I'd have considered myself less comparable to a zombie and more akin to a singing zombie orchestra. Well, no, not really, but I was more active at any rate, having stopped moping around instead thrown myself into my study. I worked in a kind of desperate, endless haste, hoping that I could distract myself from the great hole that had ripped me apart, the emptiness that Siege had left behind him.

I had also finally worked up the courage to tell my friends, at last, of Siege's death. They had, as I had predicted, responded with slightly nauseating amounts of sympathy and condolences. To my surprise, however, I had found that I didn't mind as much as I had thought I would, and I hoped that this was perhaps the first step towards accepting the whole affair.

Another significantly less pleasant event that had occurred was that the search party had located Rebecca and brought her back safely, to my private fury. How fair was it that this fracas had resulted in Siege's murder, and yet Rebecca had survived unscathed? "Life isn't fair", adults say many, many times, but somehow we kids never seem to quite grasp that concept until things like this happen, to serve as brutal reminders of the fact that life, indeed, is not fair. In the meantime, my friends and I just ignored Rebecca, deciding that she wasn't worth starting another row over.

Occasionally I'd catch her staring after me as I walked down the hallways to and from classes, but I merely scowled and continued on my way without saying anything. I wasn't about to let her know how hurt I felt every time I thought about what she had done to us...to me. I was even angry at myself for ever having considered her attractive—even for still doing so, in way, for the things we hate can possess a kind of wild beauty, if only on the outside, perhaps.

I tried brawling Jack, hoping that a good battle would help matters—but without Siege, I fell apart and was thrashed mercilessly. I didn't try it again. One evening, after a long day of hard study, I almost fell into the doorway of my room. I was so tired that I didn't see the note until long after I'd collapsed onto my bed. Gazing around the room dully, I noticed a small piece of paper lying on my desk. Climbing out of bed, I went to see what it was. I saw a message, scrawled hurriedly in a hand I didn't recognise. I squinted in the half-light, trying to make out what it said.

_'...the Fear Ripper's claw—' _It looked like the person who had penned the note had been about to add something more, but stopped suddenly. I reread the note, trying to think what it could mean. I couldn't make head or tail of it, so eventually I gave up and went to sleep.

I woke up drearily the next morning, having had another horrible night's sleep. I'd been wondering even in my dreams what the odd note meant. I'd been too tired to worry about it the night before, but it occurred to me now that it might have been something important. I looked it over again, and saw with a rush of mixed emotions that I hadn't seen the entire message the first time.

_'CFB – look at the Fear Ripper's claw—' __CFB?_ CFB...why was that so familiar? ...Claws Furiously Burning, of course! Hoping I was right, I went over and got out the Ability card for the second time in several days, only this time I was looking more carefully at that Pyrus Fear Ripper's claw... Nothing. Wait—was there—? Yes, there was something _written _there.

"'If'—'you seek me'—'for the cause of good'—'I will find you.'" I murmured softly as I read the words, which were written in an old but strangely familiar language. Suddenly, the Fear Ripper embossed on the card glowed and changed shape. It was turning into—the Dragonoid I'd seen in my vision! I uttered a startled cry as the entire card shone with a brilliancy that was hard even for experienced Brawlers to look at... Then the face of the card opened up and out of it popped a tiny sphere which gleamed dazzlingly as it landed in the palm of my hand, like it knew where it was going...

It was a Bakugan. I looked at it closely with a pounding heart. Red...orange...yellow... No doubt about it, this was a genuine Pyrus Bakugan! As I stared at it, my heart filled with a strange joy until I felt ready to burst with happiness.

Then it opened up and spoke. "Greetings, Phyra. I am Pyrus Dragonoid. Congratulations on finding me at last. I am yours forever."

* * *

"Surely you jest, Phyra!" Jack cried in amazement. "Did you _really _find a Pyrus Bakugan?"

It was breakfast time and I had told my friends all about the strange note and my even stranger discovery, while Helga brought in plates of pasta with rose-hip chutney (to the usual grumbling from everyone except Alfie, who, 'Forever Alone' that he was, still tried vainly to win the hideous waitress's favour).

"If you don't believe me, you may as well see for yourself." I said, smiling for the first time since Siege had— _Siege. _The smile disappeared as quickly as it had come. The problem was that while I was excited that my lifelong dream had come true at last, I had never, not even in my wildest imaginings thought that it would feel like this. My feelings of happiness and wonder were laced with guilt at the way I'd seemed to have forgotten my guardian so soon.

_You haven't really forgotten him. _I told myself._ His memory will stay with you for the rest of your life—but now that he's gone, of course you'll need another guardian, so don't be such a drip. _But I still couldn't help but feel that I'd somehow betrayed Siege's memory.

"Get your arse into gear, Phyra! Show us your Pyrus Bakugan!" Shrill with excitement, Jack's voice pierced my thoughts, sending them scattering to the winds. For this, I have to say I was extremely grateful.

"Alright, Jack, cut it out. Here he is." I said, trying to regain my earlier careless appearance and hoping that the others hadn't noticed my sudden silence. "Everybody, meet my new guardian." I announced, holding out my hand with the small red ball cupped in my palm, where he opened and introduced himself.

"Pleased to meet you all." he said. "I am Pyrus Dragonoid. You may, however, call me Nova."

Mikael and Jack forgot all appearance of manners and gaped openly, but Kate was a bit more polite and smiled a greeting. Gryphonoid made an overly-formal proclamation of welcome, and Dread Ripper and Harpus bounced all over the place, chattering excitedly about how happy they were to meet a Pyrus Bakugan after hearing of them all though their childhood.

"Well, strike me pink," Jack trailed off in amazement. I saw with a hint of my old smile that even he, the most talkative fifteen-year-old in the dimension, was momentarily rendered speechless by this surreal new development. Meanwhile, Helga made a second appearance for the next course, and began to dish out the usual horrible food accompanied by her usual horrible grin. Alfie just about fainted with beguilement when she leered at him as she served his table. "You're going to need to apply for a new uniform." Jack said to me at last, before stuffing a forkful of the cook's repulsive comestibles into his mouth.

I stared at him for a long time before replying. "Jack," I said slowly, not caring to look at what I was eating, "the last ever Pyrus Bakugan appears out of a card, takes me on as its Brawler after haunting my dreams for several months, exhibits a fair command over our Reimish dialect and everything...and all you can say is _you're going to need to apply for a new uniform_?"

"That's about the size of it." he said nonchalantly through an enormous mouthful of what turned out to be cheddar-cheese-and-salad-dressing-on-waffles. Now _all _of us were staring at him. "Quit looking at me when I'm eating!" he burst out indignantly.

"You call _that _eating?" Dread Ripper murmured, causing Gryphonoid and Harpus to snicker. Nova just looked uncertain as to how serious we were being.

"Whatever you say," I said thoughtfully, more to myself than to the others. "I imagine, though, you have a point. Now that I've taken on a Pyrus guardian, not only am I going to need a new uniform, but more importantly, I need to consider what I'm going to do for my other two Bakugan. I suppose I'll have to retire from Subterra brawling, since using three Attributes is too unstable. But then, what will I do with all my Subterra Bakugan?"

I sat for a minute in total silence while the others discreetly continued with their breakfast. At length, Mikael spoke up. "Actually, it's interesting you should mention that," he said, "because after I've seen the way you and Kate brawl, I was thinking of taking on another Attribute style in addition to Haos—"

"So," I finished, "I should hand my Subterra Bakugan on to you. That's a brilliant idea! Haos and Subterra go fantastically together, or so I've observed." Mikael grinned happily, and after breakfast, we both of us immediately went to the registration office to have our Attribute changes recorded.

"Hell's bloody bells, Vyander!" exclaimed Squadmaster Xaen, who happened to be in the office. "Is that really a Pyrus Bakugan you have there? It's a _bona fide_ miracle!"

"Huzzah to that, sir," I said with a smile after he'd handed me a black top with a red stripe, and Mikael a white top with a brown stripe. Once all was said and done, Mikael accompanied me to the arena, where I gave him my Mercenary Gorem, Gryphonoid, Rattlesnake, Tuskor, Rocket Laserman, Sirenoid and a handful of Subterra Abilities, which I would have no need of now.

"Golly, that's a lot," he said, beaming. "Cheers, Phyra."

"No problem," I said. "It's not as if I'm going to use them myself any time soon, I regret to say. Tell you what, though, how about we give our new Attributes a little test—with a brawl? Sound good?"

"Sounds beaut," he replied, picking out a team for himself as I hurriedly did the same, gathering up two Darkus Bakugan and some cards in one hand, while holding Nova in the other. It was really quite fortunate that I'd taken those Pyrus Abilities from Kyros. Now I had several to use with my Dragonoid. I held up a Gate Card, while Mikael did the same, but I didn't mirror his smile. Thinking about Kyros had reminded me of...Siege.

I tried to clear my mind of all thoughts except one: _let the game begin. _"Field—Open!" we shouted.

"Gate Card—Set!" yelled Mikael, hurling out a small card which landed in front of me and expanded to a huge size, glowing orange at the same time.

"Gate Card—Set!" I called in reply, throwing my own Gate which likewise grew enormously and flashed with a bright purple colour.

"Bakugan Brawl!" shouted Mikael, a small brown sphere whizzing from his hand onto the Field, landing on his card and turning into... "Stand, Subterra Rattlesnake!" A giant brown serpent appeared and hissed at me, shaking the rattle on its tail in a threatening gesture.

"Bakugan Brawl!" I returned. "Stand, Darkus Manion!" A huge sphinx rose up on Mikael's card and growled ferociously at Rattlesnake, who reared up and hissed again. According to my BakuPod, Rattlesnake had 460G-Power, while Manion had 420G-Power.

Then Mikael stepped forward and yelled out, raising his hand, "Gate Card—Open! Surging Strength!" Rattlesnake's body trembled slightly and gleamed as energy from the Gate surged into him. He was now at 860Gs. "Ability—Activate! Shadow Switch!" I replied, holding up a card which flashed and caused the Bakugan to swap Power Levels.

"Not so fast! Ability—Activate! Teetering Stability!" said Mikael in return. "I switch the effect of your Shadow Switch to that of my Summon Lightning!" The Power Levels swapped back and a Haos Bakugan flew from Mikael's clip to join the battle, glowing gold before transforming with a bright flash of light into... "Stand, Haos Manion!" A sphinx which looked just like mine, only white and gold instead of black and purple, rose up and roared. It had 400Gs. The Power Levels were now at 1260 for Mikael and 420 for me.

"Time to make this a little more interesting." I murmured softly, weighing up my options as I got out another card.

"Phyra, you're talking to yourself again!" laughed Mikael.

"Not you too!" I groaned, before holding up the card I'd chosen. "Ability—Activate! Consolation Prize! If I lose, I can add an Ability from my collection to my hand for each 100Gs I lose by, though not exceeding three!" Mikael's Bakugan annihilated my Manion, which transformed back to a sphere and rolled off the Gate.

While Mikael caught his Bakugan, I pulled a handful of Ability cards out of my pocket. After due consideration, I selected three and put the rest back with my other spare cards. Now for battle number two. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Subterra Rattlesnake!" yelled Mikael. The big snake rose up once gain, though this time on my Gate.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Hornet Striker!" I returned, sending a tiny ball over to join Rattlesnake, where it turned into a large black and purple bee, buzzing provocatively around Rattlesnake's head. My BakuPod stated that it had 430G-Power. "Gate Card—Open! Quartet Battle!" I announced. The Gate flashed and Mikael's Manion was dragged from his clip to join the battle, while from my clip, came... "Stand, Pyrus Dragonoid!" I shouted.

A gigantic blazing red and orange dragon with yellow highlights burst into the air with a roar. His fiery gaze swept the battlefield, his enormous wings beat fiercely, buffeting his opponents this way and that. "Ha," he growled, stretching his wings to their fullest extent, "it feels good to stretch the ol' wings again—oh, damn, I sound like as old as Methuselah now."

I glanced at my BakuPod and saw with a sinking feeling that he had only 400Gs. There had once been a time, in my early days at the BBS, when I'd had thought 400 to be a reasonably high Power Level—but not any more. Not after I had battled with Siege for so long... _Focus on the task at, you great galah. _I reprimanded myself sternly, looking through my Ability cards. The Power Levels stood at 860 for Mikael and 830 for me. "Ability—Activate! Fire Storm!" I cried. "All Pyrus Bakugan gain 50G-Power for every Bakugan on the Field!" My Ability card flashed red and Nova gained 200G-Power.

Now was Mikael's cue. "Ability—Activate! Summon Lightning!" he yelled, holding up a card which flashed gold as his last Bakugan flew over to the Gate and stood to reveal... "Stand, Haos Harpus!" The gold and white harpy flew up to meet Nova in the air, screeching wild challenges (most of which were garbled, but I definitely heard "LET'S GET THIS FROOTLOOPIN' POPCAKE STARTAWARTED, CONFUDDLEBUBBLIN' PUNKOS!" uttered more than once), while Haos Manion and Subterra Rattlesnake attacked Darkus Manion below.

I saw that Harpus had stood with 520Gs, then gained another 250 from Summon Lightning, making Mikael's Power Level now to be 1630G-Power. "Ability—Activate!" I shouted. "Power Drain! Plus, Fusion Ability—Activate! Inferno Void!" I held up two cards which flashed simultaneously, one turning purple, the other red. They took effect one after the other, with Mikael's Power Level first being halved by Power Drain, then going down even more as Nova absorbed 200Gs from it. It was now down to 815, while mine was up to 1260.

"Ability—Activate!" screamed Mikael, raising his last two cards to the sky as they gleamed gold. "Harpus Light Storm! Plus, Fusion Ability—Activate! Magnify!" As you might recall, Harpus Light Storm takes the amount of G-Power the opponent is winning by, doubles it and subtracts it from the opponent's Power Level—and of course, Magnify will double that. In the blink of an eye, I lost 1780Gs all up. Just like that, I was in the negatives, with -520Gs.

And just like that, I countered with, "Ability—Activate! Teetering Stability! I change the effect of your Magnify to that of my Fiery Void, which transfers 300Gs from your Bakugan to mine!" The Power Levels were now at 670 for me, and 515 for Mikael. "Finish them!" I commanded my Bakugan, pointing towards Mikael's Bakugan.

Nova and Manion rushed forward and, after a terrible battle that lasted about a minute, smashed their opponents to pieces. I caught my Bakugan as they flew back to me, while each of Mikael's Bakugan reformed itself from its fragments, coming together to create a tiny ball. The Gate vanished and so did the shining Field, revealing the arena around us. Mikael was just starting to congratulate me when we heard footsteps behind us. We turned and saw, walking through the door, Nicholas. "What are _you _doing here?" I demanded.

Nicholas didn't reply. He looked just as surprised to see us as we were to see him. I repeated my question, but I don't think he heard me. He was staring, wide-eyed, at Mikael. "You—you lied to me!" he burst out at last.

I glanced first at Mikael, who was glaring in defiance, then back at Nicholas, who looked angry and hurt, in growing confusion. "What's going on?" I heard myself asking. Nicholas took a step closer to Mikael, and suddenly it hit me. "You're brothers!" I exclaimed in shock. Now that I looked at them together, it was so obvious that I marvelled that I hadn't noticed it before. Mikael had always seemed so familiar, and I'd never been able to figure out why, until now. They had the same eyes, shared the same expression...

"You're correct, Vyander. We're twins, as a matter of fact." Nicholas affirmed coldly. "Or, at any rate, we were born at the same time, and share the same mother—only I don't think Mikael values that properly." His glance towards Mikael was accusatory now.

"But you go by different surnames." I protested, not following what was passing between them.

"Mikael carries the surname of our father, but I took our mother's maiden name, Vyander. It's really not that unusual." Nicholas said sharply, still glaring at Mikael. "Not that I know why I'm bothering to tell you that, anyway."

"Look, just because we're related doesn't mean I have to think in the same sick way _you _do!" Mikael broke in hotly.

"You betrayed me," Nicholas snarled.

"_You _were the one who decided to muck around with things you shouldn't have." Mikael shot back furiously. "I don't have to make the same mistakes _you_ do!"

"Look, what are you rabbiting on about?" I broke in hastily, seeing that this could go on forever.

"He joined that Martian creep Kyros and expected me to follow in his twisted, maledict, popcorning footsteps!" yelled Mikael, so beside himself now that he didn't even realise what he was saying.

Nicholas cast his brother a scornful glance, then turned on his heel and left as abruptly as he'd come. I waited until Mikael had calmed down, then spoke up. "What on Starsector was _that _all about?" I asked, curiosity piqued by this unusual display.

Mikael took a deep breath before answering. "Well," he said, "I suppose now you know our secret—not that it was really that hidden, if I'm honest with myself—you may as well hear the whole story. Nicholas and I were always pretty close as brothers go. Nicholas is the older of us two (by about five minutes, though _some _people say it was six), but neither of us really thought much about age. We were brothers, and that was that. Over time, though, our bond started to fracture, and this became especially obvious when we joined up here at the BBS.

"I noticed," he went on, "that Nicholas was spending more and more time away from me, but when I asked him where he'd been, he always pretended not to hear. One day, however, he introduced me to a friend of his, named Kyros. From the first moment I met Kyros, I knew there was something I didn't like about him. Since I didn't know what it was, though, and since he was my brother's friend, I was ready to be civil to him—at first." He paused, as if unsure whether to go on, then continued relentlessly. "It was the night before the tournament—the month Kyros won—and Kyros had me, Nicholas and those other friends of his in his room. He wanted to show us something.

"The object in question was a device Kyros himself created which he called a manipulator. It could take control of the particles that make up a Bakugan Field using methods I know not what, and manipulate them in various ways—hence its name. It could be used to interrupt brawls by taking control of the Field from either the outside or inside, and causing it to disintegrate—" I remembered the time the Field had mysteriously collapsed during my brawl with Jack, Kate and Rebecca, and how I'd seen Kyros hide something in his pocket. "And," Mikael went on, "it can also take a portion of the energy used to create the Field, and convert it into a custom Ability card."

"So _that's_ how he did it," I blurted out before I could stop myself.

"Yes," Mikael nodded. "So, as you can guess, having a device like that will give you considerable advantage in a battle, and because it's so small, you can hide it easily so it won't be noticed. The only thing that gives it away is that the energy contained within it warps the molecular structure of the Field slightly, causing it to look slightly different than normal—" I remembered noticing that the Field had looked different when we'd played the four versus four match, and thought with a groan what a fool I'd been to brush it aside the way I had... "Anyway," Mikael went on, "Kyros said that he would use this device to win the tournament the next day, though he wouldn't say why. At that moment, I saw Kyros for what he really was: a malicious cheater with no regard for anything save his own interests. Since then, I've avoided him, his friends...even my own brother."

He broke off, and I saw the pain in his eyes and realised how hard this must have been for him. I could tell he wanted to drop the subject, but there was something else I wanted to know, as the answer might have been of no small consequence. "So, why did Nicholas say you'd lied to him and betrayed him?" I asked hesitantly.

"Well," Mikael shrugged, "one day he wanted to know why I'd been avoiding him—double standards if ever I saw them. I told him I was just busy, but in reality, I wanted nothing more to do with him, _or _any of the people he was hanging around with. He could tell I was holding back, and became rather angry. We had a shouting match of sorts, and one of the squadmasters overheard me use an obscenity I don't care to repeat, which is how you and I met, in the room behind Master Flix's office.

"After that," he continued, eyes darkening slightly, "Nicholas stopped pressing me, but he didn't know I'd made friends with you until just then... He finally knows the truth, now: we've each taken our separate paths, and if this continues, well, we might as well not be brothers." Here, his eyes filled with tears, and he was unable to go on. I tried to say something sympathetic, reminding myself unpleasantly of how I'd felt when my friends tried to console me after Siege—well, after it happened—then another thought struck me.

"Mikael," I said thoughtfully, "on the night Kyros was expelled, were you by any chance walking from the arena to Nicholas's room?"

Mikael wiped his eyes and thought for a minute. Then, looking surprised, he said, "Yes. I was tired, and I needed somewhere to think while everyone else was at dinner. I'd chosen the arena because I generally feel happier here than in my room. I left when I heard someone coming. How did you know?"

"That was me arriving at the arena. I saw you," I said, "except I thought it was Nicholas. It was pretty dark, and you do look quite alike..." I stopped, seeing that this wasn't really helping things, but while I felt bad for Mikael, I was relieved that I had finally solved _that _particular mystery, and that I wasn't crazy. I remembered when I'd asked Nicholas about the incident. He'd looked uncomfortable, as though he thought he knew what was going on, but wouldn't say. He must have guessed that it was Mikael, but I supposed that if I'd been in his position, I wouldn't have wanted to talk about my brother when I was cross with him...especially to someone I didn't like.

"Er, by the bye, Phyra," Mikael said uncomfortably, "could you, you know, not tell anyone about this? It's just something I don't really want to discuss right now... I suppose I'll bring it up eventually, but I'd like some more time."

"Of course." I acquiesced. I knew how it felt to have secrets, after all.

* * *

"Nova," I said that night as I was resting in my room, talking with my new guardian, "how exactly did you survive?"

Nova didn't answer straight away. He looked up at the ceiling for several minutes, which seemed like an age, then sighed and began to speak in a soft, haunting tone. "Well," he murmured, "I don't like to relate this story, Phyra, for it's a sad one, and I'm not proud of what happened. But if we're going to be friends, then holding back won't do much good."

_That's a sentiment to be encouraged, _I thought miserably, thinking of all the chaos I was involved in, most of which had happened because people were keeping secrets from one another. I then realised that Nova was addressing me again.

"Do you know, Phyra, of the history of Vestroia?" he asked. I thought for a minute, then shook my head. It was true, most of us knew snippets from what our guardian Bakugan had told us, but no one I knew had really bothered to ask about it in more detail. I wished sadly that I could have taken more interest in Siege's past while I still had him... With an effort, I turned to concentrate on what Nova was saying. "Well, then," he murmured, "I should probably start from the very beginning in order for you to understand better."

As Nova began to spin his tale, I let myself sink into his words, thinking that losing myself in the past would be better than facing the present.

"In the early days of Vestroia's creation," said Nova, "it was merely a lifeless planet in another dimension. However, it was not to remain that way. We don't really know how, but a fragment of the planet Earth—that is, a mostly harmless blue-green planet in another dimension—travelled to the planet of Vestroia and created a chain reaction which caused life to grow in the barren emptiness of the planet's surface.

"Then, a mysterious force which we Bakugan have come to know since as 'Code Eve' created the first two Bakugan: Genesis Dragonoid, the Dragon of Fire, and Dharaknoid, the Dragon of Darkness. From these two descended all the other Bakugan which we know of to this day.

"Life, however, is continually evolving. Several centuries later, an intense burst of positive energy came out of nowhere and hit the Bakugan of Vestroia, causing them to split into six different Attribute groups: the strong, fire-attributed Pyrus, the tricky, water-attributed Aquos, the wise, light-attributed Haos, the powerful, dark-attributed Darkus, the tough, stone-attributed Subterra, and last but not least, the fast, wind-attributed Ventus.

"Despite the fact that the Bakugan were now all different, they continued to live in harmony. That is, until a group of Gargonoid (whom the Gorgonoids originated from, as you might know) started a war, slaughtering any Bakugan who tried to resist their forces. We don't actually know what their motives were, but we suspect the problem rose from a territorial feud. At any rate, the main problem was how to stop them.

"Eventually, six Bakugan—one from each Attribute group—banded together to try and stop the chaos. These Bakugan, now known as the six Legendary Soldiers, or Ancient Warriors, were Pyrus Apollonir, Aquos Frosch, Haos Lars Lion, Darkus Exedra, Subterra Clayf and Ventus Oberus. The Legendary Soldiers used their immense power to split Vestroia into six different worlds, each containing all the Bakugan of a particular Attribute. During this time, all the descendants of the Bakugan Dharaknoid vanished mysteriously to an unknown dimension. Nobody really knows how or why, but it happened nonetheless.

"Now, the six Attribute worlds were kept revolving in balance by two opposite cores: the Infinity Core—the source of all positive energy, and the Silent Core—the source of all negative energy. This is Vestroia as it remains today, but with one difference.

"During the unsettlement caused by the splitting of Vestroia, the two newly created cores sent out waves of positive and negative energy, which affected the minds of the Bakugan. Most of us were able to withstand it, but the Hydranoids, a more violent breed of Bakugan, seemed to be influenced more than everyone else by the negative energy pulsing from the Silent Core. Their minds twisted and they formed a deranged plan—domination of the dimension. How did this happen? I shall tell you.

"A particularly clever Darkus Hydranoid named Darcell found that he could harness the waves of energy around him, and transport himself from one Attribute world to another. He at once set about teaching his fellow Darkus Hydranoids to do the same, and they eventually came into contact with Hydranoids of all Attributes. Then, uniting their enormous strength, they launched a chaotic attack on the other Bakugan—and this time, we had no Legendary Soldiers to stop them, for the Soldiers had used up all their energy in splitting Vestroia, and had been sent unjustly to the Doom Dimension: the everlasting graveyard of all Bakugan.

"There was nothing else to do but try to escape. One by one, each Attribute group fled from the Hydranoids...except Pyrus. Or so others believe. Everyone thinks that we Pyrus Bakugan were simply stubborn and foolish, and, after refusing to give way, were cut down by the Hydranoids. But it's not quite as simple as that...and this is where I come in.

"I am, as you may have opined, a direct descendant of Genesis Dragonoid. As such, I possess something known as the Ultimate Warrior Gene. I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that this, combined with my natural strength, helped me to become the most powerful Pyrus Bakugan in Vestroia. I will admit with sorrow that in my youth, I was conceited and vain, believing that I was invincible. I was certain that no other Bakugan in the dimension could oppose me in anything I did. I was a fool—a well-respected and admired fool, to be sure, but a fool, just the same.

"Now, news of the terrible war and the defeat of the other Attribute groups hadn't yet reached Pyrus Space at this time, for the Pyrus Hydranoids, you must understand, were rather cunning experts at leading double-lives. One day, then, as I was flying over the dimension, lost in complacent thoughts revolving chiefly around how magnificent I was, I happened to catch sight of Flarehorn, a Pyrus Hydranoid I knew, accompanied by Darcell. Naturally, I was surprised to see a Darkus Bakugan in Pyrus Space, and so I landed and asked them what was going on.

"'I would like you to meet Darcell, my friend. He has heard so much about you.' rasped Flarehorn, who was grinning madly as if there were some private joke between them. Despite the fact that I was uneasy about Darcell's presence, I was rather flattered, and asked him what business brought him here.

"'Well, as it happens, young Dragonoid, you have something I want.' croaked Darcell, returning Flarehorn's grin evilly. The smile on my face faltered, and I asked him what he meant.

"'You, the most powerful Bakugan of your Attribute group, perhaps of the entire dimension, possess the power of the Ultimate Warrior Gene.' continued Darcell. 'This Gene has absorbed the waves of positive and negative energy bursting forth from the two cores of Vestroia, which not only enhances your power, but also means you own the legendary Key to the Cores. With this fabled key, you are able to unlock the vast amounts of power hidden inside the Infinity and Silent Cores, making you the ultimate creature of all existence.

"'_I _want that key, Dragonoid, and so I will make you a bargain: give me the Key, and my Hydranoid army will spare the lives of your fellow Pyrus Bakugan. Consider carefully, however. I have sealed the borders of Pyrus Space. You and the rest of these pathetic creatures have nowhere to go. I _will _have that key, whether you are willing to give it to me or not. You will probably die upon relinquishing it, but the choice is yours: will you give it to me, sacrificing your life in exchange for the lives of those you love? Or do I have to take it, and kill every last living being in here? You have one day to think over your decision. Choose wisely.' With a burst of evil cackling, they vanished, leaving me stricken, and wondering what to do.

"To you, the choice may seem blatantly manifest: if I was to die either way, then of course I should try and save the lives of the others. But keep in mind, Phyra, that I wasn't then and still am not perfect, for I am merely a mortal. I was hardly zealous for a noble death, and I was afraid. I didn't want to die. I thought about fighting Darcell, for if I defeated him, then I would save both myself _and_ the other Bakugan. Deep down, though, I realised that I wasn't as invincible as I'd thought. I knew that Darcell wouldn't leave anything to chance. He and his followers would set on me all at once to ensure he got what he sought, and powerful as I was, there was no way I could handle that many opponents.

"My only option, then, as I saw it, was to run. Darcell had said that he'd sealed the borders, but if I truly held the Key to the Cores, then surely I could use that as a link? I had to try, at least. It cost me a terrible price: I lost a lot of my former power, and even now, my health is somewhat precarious, but I eventually managed it. I fled my home, disregarding the screams of the dying innocent behind me as I burst through the barrier Darcell had set up.

"The last thing I heard before I had completely left Pyrus Space was a voice, which I recognised as my father's, crying out to me, pleading for me to return, to fight, to use my power and drive off our enemies... Then it was gone, and I found myself hurtling through Inner Space, the void between the six Attribute worlds, and heading straight for the cores.

"Wild thoughts of trying to unlock the power of the cores, to return triumphantly and vanquish my foes flew around in my head, but I knew it was hopeless, for I had lost too much power. I couldn't take control of the Key even if I tried. As I hit the Infinity Core, its power collided with the power inside of me and created a wormhole which transported me to another dimension: Starsector.

"As soon as I left my own dimension, however, my molecular structure changed and I turned from my Bakugan form into the sphere I am now. All I remember at that point was using the last remnants of my energy to gather particles of your dimension around me, creating a shell of sorts, which I hid myself in for protection. This was the thing you call an _Ability card_: a fusion between the knowledge of a fighting technique and matter from your dimension. In it, I floated around in Starsector for quite some time, maybe hundreds of years for all I knew.

"I don't recall much of that time, for I was in a trance of sorts at first. One day, however, I awoke and remembered all that had happened. Gryphonoid tells me that after I left, the other five Attribute groups joined forces and not only quelled the violent fury of the Hydranoid army (with the exception of the unfortunate Pyrus Hydranoids, of course, who were all executed after the Fall of Pyrus Space, I gather), but also defeated and killed Darcell, who was far too dangerous to leave alive and risk a repeat of the whole thing.

"Back then, however, I did not know what would happen, and I was alone with my guilt for an unbearably long time. To this day, I am deeply ashamed of my pride, and the fall to which it resulted... Darcell and I, I realise, were quite alike in some respects. We were both dragons, dragons of pride and of folly...but what's done is done, and I can only hope that one day I will be able to make things right.

"In the end, I decided that I had to find a way of breaking myself out of the Ability card I was embedded in if I was to do anything good with what remained of my life. So I sent out telepathic signals, attempting to connect with the mind and soul of one whom I deemed to be the right partner for me...and I found you, Phyra. I made contact with you, and, our minds being linked, managed to teleport myself to your location using your mind as a beacon, if you like. Then it was merely a matter of continuing to send you messages, in the hope that I could lead you to me.

"It took many tries, for you were unconsciously rejecting the foreign signals inside your head, but I eventually found the answer: I tried sending a communication to another person. I know not who it was, for I didn't probe their mind long enough to discover their name, but I implanted a clue to the secret of the card inside them, and they left you a message which aided you in discovering me at last—and here we are."

* * *

"Golly, Nova, I had no idea the history of Vestroia was as complicated as that." was the first thing that I managed to utter after an awkward silence.

"Actually," Nova admitted, "given how old the place is, I think our history is comparatively succinct, especially compared to that of Starsector." His tone was oddly hoarse, as though he were about to choke—and his words seemed perfunctory, like he was speaking without thinking. I supposed that reliving his past had grieved him—and with good reason, too.

I left him to think for a few minutes before picking him up and squeezing him gently. I don't know how long we sat there in silence, but I could tell that my simple gesture had comforted him, if only a little bit. As the tides of sleep closed over me, I was dimly aware that I was holding him close to me—and I'll add here that it's really quite difficult to hug something that's even smaller than a table tennis ball. "Goodnight, Nova." I whispered. Nova said nothing, but I thought I heard him make a dull choking sound, as though he were crying silently.


	12. Chapter Eleven: The War of Starsector

**PART II:**

**BEGINNING OF THE CONFLICT... **

**Chapter Eleven – The War of Starsector**

Three Years Later...

"Sir," an officer announced, rushing into my tent, "we've received a report that the enemy numbers are increasing—and General Hiroshai wishes to talk to you and the others."

"Cheers, Big Ears—er, I mean thanks, Flemming. You're dismissed." I replied with a fair imitation of levity while I put away the map I'd been studying.

"Certainly, sir." he said, saluting and exiting the tent. Once he'd gone, I looked around wearily and sighed, not moving an inch for several moments.

It had been three years since the incidents at the BBS, and I was now eighteen. I'd left the BBS two years ago, informing the squadmasters that I wished to enlist in the Royal Staryan Army. It was, needless to say, largely unorthodox, but then I have never been an orthodox person. Since I'd turned out to be rather an exceptional Brawler (and my guardian had consented to the idea, feeling more than usually genial after finally having his toenails cured), the masters had sent a letter of recommendation to the king, and after passing the entrance exams with flying colours, I'd finally made it. I'd even got a special hair permit, so I didn't have to have one of those awful army haircuts.

Once I'd joined, I'd quickly climbed the ranks, and after a few daring exploits here and there—I won't bore you with the details—I was now a sergeant in command of my own unit. I'd been sad to lose communication with my friends back at the BBS, but I had to put my future first, and I'd decided a long time ago that the best way to rise in power and stature was by overcoming the challenges I was bound to encounter in the military.

My faithful guardian, Nova, had grown more powerful as time passed just like I had. Over the years he'd evolved several times, passing through the stages of Delta, Neo and Lumino Dragonoid. He was currently at a rare evolution stage known as Assassin Dragonoid. He stood on two feet, and his arms were separate from his wings. His body was small and lithe, and he had a Staryanoid posture. He wore minimum armour, he was sleek, agile and speedy, and he attacked using four long, narrow blades which protruded from the gauntlets on his wrists. His skill with these had earned him the title of "The Knife". His G-Power was at 720, but the most notable thing about him was that he could now take on the powers of Darkus as well as Pyrus.

All the changes my life had undergone in the three-year period pale by comparison, however, to the single biggest—and most daunting change: the Sektarii had recently assembled an army themselves, based in the southern segment of the Sector, and declared a state of open war between Star and Sector for the first time since the Staryan Lord Twattar and Sektarus Laydayas Cayuuntash had met just after the Great Fusion. It was complete chaos, the first war of Starsector, which none of us had anticipated. Worse still, the Sektarii had got hold of a group of Bakugan to serve them, who had proved to be quite a match for our Bakugan in power.

We'd managed to hold the Sektarii off thus far, making a stand from our siege camp, which was stationed at the southern edge of the Outer Rim. Our luck hitherto seemed mainly to stem from the fact that the bonds between Brawlers and guardians added strength to our side, while the Sektarii, who were evidently using the Bakugan as mere tools, lacked that strength. Still, things were looking pretty grim, and if events kept going the way they were headed, we'd need a miracle to survive.

"What's wrong, Phyra?" Nova's voice broke into my thoughts.

"Oh, Nova, I just can't help feeling that this is all so pointless!" I burst out helplessly, pacing around the limited space in my tent.

"Pointless?"

"This fighting! Why insist on facing those Sektarii head-on when we just keep getting massacred? Yes, we're holding them off—but just barely, and at the cost of hundreds of Staryan lives. Someone ought to bloody-well knock some sense into that moronic general's head!" I said savagely, still pacing. "I mean, we all knew he was completely batty, but _this _milk-and-water scheme takes the cake. _Any_ fool could come up with a military strategy better than this! There's been no tactical manoeuvres at all—just running blindly forward to our doom!" Tired of pacing, I strode over to my chair, kicking aside boxes of equipment as I went. I sat down heavily, burying my face in my hands.

"This is about Rich, isn't it?" Nova asked quietly after a moment. I didn't reply. "But answer came there none." he muttered irritably to himself, before adding aloud, "It wasn't your fault."

"That's not the point! He was a good man, and he was under my protection." I said bitterly. "I should have known better than to let him take on that Reaper without backup."

"No one blames you for his death. Many people die during wars."

"I know, and that's just what I'm not happy about!" I yelled, frustrated. "The general—"

"Speaking of the general, you're supposed to be meeting him." interrupted Nova.

"Yeah, I suppose getting court-marshalled won't really help matters," I sighed, getting up. "I wonder what he wants _this _time."

"Maybe we've run out of whiskey again." Nova said drily, as we exited my tent and made our way across the military encampment.

As I entered General Hiroshai's council tent, leaving Nova by a peanut stand outside the entrance, I saw, seated around the circular table in the main compartment, Captain Trap Hackett, our top military scientist, Major George Duckford, head of communications, Colonel Philius Narov, advisor to the general (not that the general actually listened to his advice, but anyway), General Taka "Harp Darp" Hiroshai himself, and, surprisingly, Kate!

"Ah, Sergeant Vyander, you're here at last." General Hiroshai said affably. "So, as you've seen fit to join us here today, we can now proceed with this...um...what's the word?"

"Briefing?" Hackett put in helpfully.

"No, no, no, that's not it!" Hiroshai said testily, gazing abstractly into space. "Now what _was_ it..." He trailed off for a moment, giving us all a nice break from his gasbagging. Then his face lit up suddenly. "Ah! _Briefing!_ _That's _the word I was looking for!" he said, beaming. A number of us rolled our eyes when we thought he wasn't looking. "Now, I have a number of matters to address while we're here," Hiroshai continued, blissfully unaware of the fact that we all thought he was an idiot. "The first of which is that I'd like to introduce you to our newest member of Special Brawling Unit, or _SBU_, as I like to call it: Sergeant Newbie, who was just promoted yesterday."

He turned and motioned towards Kate, who murmured, "Actually, it's Newbell, sir."

"Yes, that's what I said, Newball. Now to the next item on the agenda—" Kate's eyes went sky-high as the general meandered over and picked up a small metal case which was sitting in the corner. He placed this on the table, produced a key from his pocket, inserted said key into a small dent in the lid, turned it, and opened the case. Inside were a number of small objects of different shapes and sizes, though all were slightly larger than a Bakugan in ball form. He took one out and held it so that we could all see it. "Captain Hackett and his little band of tech boffins have been working on a new device for the army." he announced with his most impressive air. "This should considerably aid our Bakugan in battle. Captain, would you like to explain how these work?"

"Thank you, sir," said Hackett, who was tall and in his mid-twenties, sandy-haired and quite the lady-chaser. For reasons known only to him, he made quite a show of standing and taking the device from Hiroshai. "These devices," he went on, "or _Enhancers_, as we of the 'Sirius Cybernetics Corporation' have dubbed them, are special machines that you can set up in a brawl to help your Bakugan. They amplify the effects of certain Abilities. I've written up a manual that explains how they work in greater detail. But that's not all I have to show you."

He took another, smaller case from his pocket. Opening it, he showed us some other gadgets which were a great deal smaller than the Enhancers. "These are Microgan," said he, "that is, small robots that can act both as a Bakugan and as a weapon. You can call them to fight alongside your Bakugan during battle, or deploy them to defend your Enhancers at any time. Again, you'll learn how to use them in another instruction booklet I've assembled.

"I've also got some new Ability cards" he continued, "that are especially designed to be used with this new technology. These are divided into three classes: Micro Abilities, or those that are used with Microgan, Supportive Abilities, those that are used with Enhancers, and Ultimate Abilities, or those that are used with a particular combination of Enhancers and Microgan.

"The final piece of technology I have to display is our new BakuPod—" He took the largest object out of the case. "—the BakuPod V2 ("_Really_ creative name." Narov remarked quietly). This is a complete step-up from what you're currently using—for as you can see, while the regular BakuPod looks something like a large wristwatch, the V2 more closely resembles a _wrist-guard_, or gauntlet. But the appearance isn't all. Not only does the V2 have all the functions of the previous BakuPod, it will activate the Bakugan Field for you (this function can be used in the same way as a field generator, by the way), launch your Bakugan, deploy Enhancers and Microgan, activate Ability cards, set Gate Cards...just about everything, really, and it's also got non-Bakugan-related faculties: an upgraded communications and tracking system, SOS flares, various other gadgets, and an inbuilt laser blaster.

"All this may seem overwhelming at first," Hackett concluded, "but once you're used to it, it will make things much easier for you. With that, I conclude my exhibition." taking a bow and shooting Kate a toothy smile. Kate didn't look very impressed by my observation.

"Thank you, Captain Hackett. I'm sure we'll all benefit from this new technology you've developed for us," said Hiroshai, "but now, I come to the second most important item on the agenda." He cleared his throat importantly, then, just because he could, did it again. And then again, just to make his point. "Now, as some of you are aware," he said at length, "a top-secret project has been in development these last few years, and I'm pleased to say that we've had a breakthrough at last: we've finally managed to set up an interdimensional teleporter—that is, a teleporter will allow us to safely travel from one dimension to another. That's not all, either. By analysing DNA samples from various Bakugan, we think we've located the whereabouts of the fabled homeland of the Bakugan."

"Are you saying, sir, that it's possible to actually..." began Narov (it was a well-known fact that Narov was paid to say things like that in order to make what the general said more dramatic), who was thin and had both dark complexion and long, dark hair, which clashed strikingly with his short silver goatee and pale eyes.

"Yes indeed, my friend," said Hiroshai dramatically (see?), "it is now possible to travel to Vestroia." There was an awe-filled silence at these words, though only because we knew that Hiroshai wouldn't be very happy if we spoiled his moment—and while you've no doubt realised by now that Hiroshai was a complete and utter twit, he was still perfectly capable of demoting us if he felt like it.

Then up piped Major Duckford, bespectacled and rotund. "Brilliant, sir!" he exclaimed. "Just one thing: why is this so important?"

"I'm glad you asked, Duckford," said General Harp Darp cheerfully, "because it so happens that I have a mission for those of you who choose to volunteer. As you all know, the enemy have recruited large masses of Bakugan to their cause, and while their Bakugan are nowhere near as powerful as ours, their numbers are steadily increasing. If we don't find a solution, they will soon overwhelm us completely. I am pleased to tell you, however, that I have come up with a solution to this quandary. A small party will be sent to Vestroia using this new interdimensional teleporter, with two goals in mind: firstly, they must attempt to find out whether there is any enemy activity there. Secondly, they'll do some recruiting of their own. The new technology that Captain Hackett has shown us will be issued to those who undertake this task, and having said that, we now come to the question: who will volunteer for this mission?"

A brief pause, then... "I'll do it, sir." said I.

Another, longer pause, then... "I'll go with him, sir." added Kate.

"Me too!" Hackett cried immediately, but was shouted down for attempting to abandon his other projects in the labs.

After another minute, during which no one else spoke, the general said, "Excellent! Major Duckford, go and make a record, would you, that Sergeant Vyander and Sergeant Newbolt, both Graduate Brawlers, have accepted Mission 401A, or _Operation Vestroia_?"

"Of course, sir," murmured Duckford, departing.

"Oh, Captain," Hard Darp added, "would you give Vyander and Newbit their gear?"

"New_bell_, sir," Kate corrected.

"Precisely, Newboil," Hiroshai said absently, searching through an unmarked crate that was sitting off to the side of the compartment. Any reply Kate might have made was prevented (probably a good thing), by Hackett handing us each an Enhancer, a couple of Microgan, a handful of the special Ability cards and a BakuPod V2. He wasn't looking too happy about not being allowed to go to Vestroia—particularly when there'd be a woman on the team, but that didn't affect the brightness of his tone when he spoke to us.

"Good luck with those, mates," he said, turning to go, "and let me know how they work on the battlefield, okay?"

"Sure thing," I said, with a hint of my old charming-but-annoying smile.

"Oh, by the way, you lot," Hiroshai said suddenly, looking up from his crate, "there was one more thing I had to tell you before you leave, and this is without a doubt the most important issue of all."

A pause.

"What is it, sir?" asked Narov, melodramatically flourishing a red-spotted emu handkerchief.

"We're out of whiskey again." Hiroshai said tearfully, snatching the handkerchief and blowing his nose with a sound like an exploding trumpet.

* * *

Later that afternoon, I sat outside my tent with Nova, reading the manual for my new equipment.

_'Enhancer Directions:_

_Section A – Practical Use_

_At any suitable point during a mission, set up your Enhancer by pressing the appropriate button on your BakuPod V2 and saying, "Enhancer—Deploy." (Required command key for voice recognition security.)_

_Once set, your Enhancer's automatic defences will lock on and it will be rendered virtually indestructible until activated. While it is inactivated, it will gradually charge, gaining more power the longer you leave it in standby mode. _

_To activate your Enhancer, press the correct button on your BakuPod V2 and say, "Enhancer—Activate."_

_Once activated, your Enhancer will increase the power of all Ability cards bearing the Enhancer icon by the percentage of power it has charged. For example, if your Enhancer has charged to twenty percent, it will increase the power of your cards by twenty percent. Also, the power of your Enhancer will gradually decrease with every Ability you activate while it is in activated mode. NOTE: certain cards will work only at certain percentages of power. The various charge requirements for any particular card are indicated next to its Enhancer icon. _

_CAUTION: when your Enhancer is in activated mode, its automatic defences shut down, leaving it vulnerable. However, it has a great deal of endurance and will take a lot of damage. Still, there are ways of boosting its defences in its now penetrable state, such as attaching a Microgan to it, or using one of several Supportive Abilities that are designed for such a purpose._

_Section B – Casual Use_

_Limit of one Enhancer and three Supportive Abilities per player._

_To set your Enhancer, follow the same process as described in Section A, but be sure to set your Enhancer on one of your _empty_ Gate Cards. It will then begin to charge as normal. NOTE: You cannot set your Enhancer on your opponent's Gate Card._

_When your Enhancer is on a Gate Card in standby mode, no Bakugan may land on that Gate Card._

_To activate your Enhancer, follow the same process as described in Section A. The Enhancer will work in the same way, except rather than increasing the destructive power of your Ability cards, it will increase gameplay effects such as G-Power boosts. As before, this will only work with cards that have the Enhancer icon._

_NOTE: when your Enhancer is in casual use, its stamina will be converted into a G-Power level. Other Bakugan may now land on the Gate Card, and the Enhancer will become vulnerable to attacks, either ranged or from enemy Bakugan on the same Gate Card. As it is attacked by enemy Bakugan, its G-Power level will decrease, and when it drops to zero, it will be removed from the game. NOTE: when your Enhancer is activated, it is not treated as a sole Bakugan, and as such, you can put one of your own Bakugan into battle alongside it._

_If an enemy Bakugan lands on the Gate Card that your activated Enhancer occupies, however, they may engage in battle. As your Enhancer will have no means of attacking on its own, you will likely want to avoid this, but if it happens, use either of the defensive methods mentioned in Section A, part 5._

_For more information about Enhancers, ponce over to my spiffing residence and...'_

"Ookaay, I think I've read enough—that Hackett really does have a strange sense of humour." I mumbled, folding up the manual and tossing it into a corner. "He's all mouth and trousers."

"You could say the same for yourself on both accounts." snorted Nova, evidently glad that I had worked myself out of my earlier depression.

I was about to say something in reply as I took out the Microgan manual, when who should arrive, but... "Hey, Phyra! Long time, no see," came Kate's cheery voice as she strode into view, "and I see you're doing pretty darn well for yourself."

"I'd say that applies pretty well to you too," I said with a grin as we embraced briefly, "you haven't changed a bit."

She laughed. "Maybe not, but _you_ certainly have—in fact, you're taller than me now." she exclaimed, looking more closely at me.

"Really?" I chuckled. "I _thought _you seemed a bit shorter than when I saw you last—but I didn't want to say anything for fear I might bruise your dignity."

She shrugged. "I can't say I expected any different than what I got."

"May I congratulate you, Knife, on abiding by the laws laid down in the Scrolls of the Rune." said Gryphonoid, speaking up for the first time.

"Umm, thank you, I think." said Nova. "I see you've evolved as well." he added. "You must be...Ventus Rune Gryphonoid? Fitting." He laughed, as Gryphonoid nodded stately.

"So, Kate, when did you sign up?" I asked curiously.

"Not long after you, actually, since I was in my last year at the BBS when you left." Kate replied. "I'd never really planned on doing anything else—I mean, I tried being a lemon at one point, like Ford, you know, but it didn't really work out. So when I obtained the highest level of brawling achievement, I left, and pretty much came here immediately. "It was a shame to say goodbye to Jack and Mikael, but it would have happened anyway, and I figured I might run into you here, so I'd at least have _one _person I knew. It took me about a lifetime to find you, though..." She smiled wryly. "I didn't really advance quite as quick as you did, but hey, sergeant at twenty isn't so bad for the record—even if it's trumped by sergeant at eighteen—"

"Don't take it so hard," I laughed. "I'm a prodigy, remember?"

"Prodigy my left _elbow_," snorted Kate. "I'd sooner believe the Sektarii were professional ballet dancers. On that note, though," she continued, with a hint of seriousness, "how are you going with the instructions for our new stuff?"

"Not bad," I replied. "I was about to read the directions for Microgan." I indicated the manual I was still holding.

"Well," she said, "it's just that we're going to need to test these things out a bit to get used to them before we go on this mission, so..." She resumed her teasing tone. "If you think you're so marvellous, then I'll have a game with you later, if you're free. What do you say?"

"I say I'll accept your challenge, but you'd better be prepared." I said mock-ominously.

"Excellent. I'll leave you to it for now, then. See you later!" And with that, she was gone as suddenly as she had appeared.

"That was abrupt." said Nova, stating the obvious as he liked to do on occasion.

"I imagine she had work to do, Nova," I replied, opening up the Microgan manual and starting to read. "The army isn't all fun and games, you know."

_'Microgan Directions:_

_Section A – Practical Use_

_To summon your Microgan, press the correct button on your BakuPod V2, and (for voice recognition security) say whatever you wish, so long as it includes the key-phrase 'Microgan,[name of Microgan]'._

_Any Microgan can fight alongside any Bakugan or Enhancer, but every Microgan has a specific Bakugan or Enhancer that it will physically attach to for maximum power. NOTE: Microgan will only attach to Enhancers when the Enhancers are in activated mode._

_While fighting in independent (unattached) mode, your Microgan will be able to use its Micro Abilities, and, if you have an Enhancer in activated mode, Micro Abilities with the Enhancer icon will have their destructive power increased._

_While attached to a Bakugan (weapon mode), your Microgan's power will link with your Bakugan's power, triggering an increase in both. You can use regular, Fusion and Micro Abilities at this stage. Again, your Enhancer will boost relevant Abilities if it is activated at this time._

_While attached to an activated Enhancer (ultimate mode), as before, the power sources will link and increase, and your Microgan will be at its most powerful stage. It will defend your Enhancer from enemies, and the Enhancer will, in return, up the power of both the Microgan itself, and certain Micro Abilities. At this point, you can use Micro Abilities, Supportive Abilities, any relevant normal or Fusion Abilities, and Ultimate Abilities._

_Section B – Casual Use_

_Limit of three Microgan, three Micro Abilities and one Ultimate Ability per player._

_NOTE: Supportive, Micro and Ultimate Abilities do not count as part of your three standard Abilities._

_To summon your Microgan, use the same process as described in Section A. Microgan may not be summoned by themselves, but must be deployed to the same Gate Card as either your Bakugan or your Enhancer. _

_When in independent mode, your Microgan will have a G-Power score which will be added to your total Power Level. It will then function in the same way as described in Section A._

_When in weapon mode, your Microgan's G-Power score will be added to that of your Bakugan's, with a slight increase. It will then function in the same method as described in Section A._

_When in ultimate mode, your Microgan's G-Power score will be added to that of your Bakugan, with a significant increase. It will then function as described in Section A._

_Section C – General Notice_

_Note that whether you are using Microgan practically or casually, Enhancers and Bakugan alike will only be able to handle ONE Microgan attachment. I.e., don't attach more than one Microgan to a Bakugan/Enhancer. However, you may still deploy more Microgan to fight in independent mode, so for example, you can have one Microgan in weapon mode with your Bakugan, and one or more in independent mode on the same Gate. This also applies to Enhancers. _

_Microgan are also not considered Bakugan, in that they are unable to fight exclusively—however, when applying the effects of an Ability card that reads 'each/every Bakugan', read as 'each/every Bakugan _and _Microgan, as Microgan _are _taken into account here._

_For more information about Microgan, please slap my delightful assistant unceremoniously, and he will be only too...'_

"Sir," said one of the lower-unit randoms, trotting up to me respectfully, "Captain Hackett wants to look through your Ability cards to see if any of them need Enhancer icons stamped onto them."

"Thank you, Harris," I said, having no idea what this guy's name really was. "Tell him I'll be right there."

"Certainly, sir." muttered the random, running off again with a certain demeanour about him that suggested I had got his name wrong.

I then stared into space for a few minutes, before pulling myself out of my deckchair and sauntering over to one of the many extemporary bars that dotted the camp in irregular masses, intending to go and find some cheap beer.

* * *

"Ready?" I asked Kate. It was time for our brawl.

"Just say the word." she replied.

"Righto then," I said, looking on my BakuPod for the Field activator switch.

"Field—Open!" we cried, as lights on our BakuPods flashed and we were enveloped within the walls of the gleaming dome that formed the Bakugan Field. Several skimpily-attired cheerleaders suddenly appeared from under a nearby rock, holding up the Gates they'd used to enter the Field with us. They informed us that they were Nova's fangirls, come to spectate on the match. Kate and I shrugged and said that we didn't object. Nova looked slightly embarrassed, but that wouldn't bother him for long.

"Gate Card—Set!" yelled Kate, making a slight movement with her arm as her new BakuPod sent a card over to land in front of me, whereupon it flashed green and grew until it was a thing of monstrous dimensions.

I took a little more time to decide what card to use. I came to a decision eventually and, loading the selected card into my V2 BakuPod, launched it over to land in front of Kate, calling while I did so, "Gate Card—Set! Your turn, Kate!"

"Okay," she acknowledged. "Let's see what these things can do, then. Enhancer—Deploy! Rise, Ventus Omega Striker!"

_So, Enhancers have names and Attributes, do they? Interesting... _I thought to myself, as a bright green dome-like object flew from her BakuPod and landed on her card, where it rose up to an enormous size. Two cannons emerged from its tip, making it look something like an AA gun. I looked at the screen on my BakuPod and saw that it had a massive 1000G-Power, as well as being already ten percent charged and increasing.

"Bakugan Brawl!" cried Kate, causing me to glance back up at the Field. "Stand, Aquos Ninjitsu Monarus!" A vivid blue Bakugan resembling a ninja faerie hovered over my Gate Card, and I saw that she had 510Gs.

_A good move, putting your Bakugan on my Gate, _I thought._ Now I can't set an Enhancer there. However, I can work my way around that... _"Gate Card—Set!" I yelled, launching another Gate Card over to land next to my first.

Before I could set my Enhancer up, though... "Supportive Ability—Activate! Omega Wind! If I have a Ventus Omega Striker on the Field, I can add a Ventus Bakugan to any Gate Card!" Kate grinned, cutting me short. A roaring wind was generated from Omega Striker's cannons, carrying a green sphere over to my new Gate, which rose up to reveal... "Stand, Ventus Mutant Mantris!"

A deformed green insect with 580Gs had appeared. Evidently I would have to wait until my next turn to set my Enhancer. "Bakugan Brawl!" I yelled, shooting a Bakugan over to join Monarus on my first Gate. "Stand, Darkus Dread Ripper!" A huge, leering beast with massive claws growled at Monarus. He had 550Gs.

"Ability—Activate! Hurricane Slide!" cried Kate. A fierce hurricane blew the Gate Card over to sit beneath Omega Striker. Meanwhile, Kate's Gate Card now came over so that Monarus and Dread Ripper were battling on it. "Gate Card—Open! Battle Hold! The battle is stopped, with both Bakugan remaining on the Gate Card, and your Abilities are blocked for a period of time!" A shimmering screen appeared between Monarus and Dread Ripper, and a glowing seal appeared on my cards. "Now for the fun to _really _begin." Kate continued. "Gate Card—Set! Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Ventus Rune Gryphonoid!"

Another Gate Card landed on the Field, and on it rose Kate's guardian Bakugan. Gryphonoid was bigger, but he'd lost the spikes and laser particles he'd previously had. In fact, he looked a lot more like the original Griffon, but with a large rune on his forehead that looked like this: S. He also now had 700Gs. "With the powers bestowed on me by the mighty Rune of Scrabulus, I will take you young whipper-snappers down!" he roared, baring his teeth.

"Ability—Activate! Marionette!" yelled Kate. Flashing green ropes issued forth from Mantris's claws, seizing Dread Ripper and dragging him over to meet Gryphonoid, who lost no time in getting his claws into the unfortunate creature.

I then noticed that the seal on my cards had vanished. My time of standing around aimlessly had ended. "Ability—Activate! Flee!" I shouted. "If my Bakugan has the lower G-Power, I can swap it with one of my unused Bakugan! It's time, Nova." I added more quietly.

"You can count on me, Phyra." he said, as I inserted him into the loading dock on my BakuPod and launched him into battle. He stood in a blazing glory of fire and darkness, spreading his wings and brandishing his four wicked blades.

"WOOHOO! KNIFE! KNIFE! HE'S OUR HERO! K – N – I – F – E! GOOOOOOO, KNIFE!" screamed the cheerleaders, waving their pink pom-poms while Dread Ripper returned to sphere form and flew back to me.

"You think that's enough?" cried Kate, disregarding the girls' corny cheers. "Well, take this! Come, Microgan, Ventus Wyvoro!" A small green coin-shaped object flew towards the Gate Card and transformed into a mechanical wyvern-like creature, with enormous wings that seemed too big for its body, two short legs with clawed feet, and a long, scorpion-like tail. It had 250Gs. "Now, activate weapon mode!" Kate yelled.

Wyvoro flew over to Gryphonoid, and attached itself to him. Its head and tail retracted, but its legs grew longer and locked into position under Gryphonoid's stomach. Its wings extended and sat right behind Gryphonoid's, so that you now got the impression that Gryphonoid had four wings instead of two. I noticed that their Power Levels combined, and there was an increase of 100, so that Kate's total Power Level was now at 1050.

"Formidable indeed, but two can play _that _game." I muttered, looking through the data on my BakuPod screen as I tried to decide which Microgan to use. I soon found what I was looking for, and tapped the corresponding button, calling out, "Let's go, Microgan, Pyrus Tarantulak!" A bright red spider appeared. It had 270Gs. "Activate weapon mode!" I added.

Tarantulak immediately leaped over to Nova and attached itself to the tip of the big dragon's tail, enabling him to use it like an enormous mace. With the increase, my total Power Level was now at 1090.

"Gate Card—Open!" cried Kate. "Overconfidence Shatter! The winning Bakugan has its Power Level halved!" Nova dropped to the ground, to groans from the cheerleaders, and my BakuPod showed that he was down to 545Gs.

"Micro Ability—Activate!" I retorted. "Tarantula Sting! This card can only be used by Pyrus Tarantulak in weapon mode. It nullifies your Gate Card and adds 200Gs to my Power Level!"

Nova raised his tail and brought the spiked end down hard on the Gate Card, smashing it to pieces. As he soared back into the air with the power surge, he charged at Gryphonoid, and was on the point of defeating him as the fangirls screamed, when... "Ability—Activate! Aqua Substitute!" said Kate. "I get to switch my Bakugan with any other of my Bakugan on the Field. If the new Bakugan is Aquos, its Power Level rises to meet that of its opponent!"

Almost before I had fully registered what she'd said, Monarus and Gryphonoid swapped places so that Gryphonoid was standing on the now-useless Battle Hold card, and Monarus was facing Nova. "Fusion Ability—Activate! Ninjitsu Wave! Monarus gains 350Gs!" Kate went on. A gigantic wave of water crashed onto the Field, and from it, Monarus absorbed enough energy to attack Nova ferociously. The cheerleaders gasped audibly. I had to do something quickly if I wanted to keep Nova in the game.

"Come, Microgan, Darkus Panferus!" I called. A large black robotic panther leapt into the battle and roared. It had had 230Gs. "Micro Ability—Activate!" I added hastily. "Wildcat Fury! This card adds 200Gs to Panferus!" I was now in the lead by 80Gs. "Attack, now!" I yelled. Nova and Panferus promptly rushed forward and tore Monarus from the air. She tried to fight back, but was eventually conquered and sent to ball form.

"ALRIGHT, KNIFE!" the girls screeched, now doing some very suggestive gymnastics routines. "YOU'RE THE MAN, KNIFE!"

"Good lord!" I gasped, catching Nova, Tarantulak and Panferus as they returned to me, while the Gate disappeared. "That was intense!"

"Yup," Kate agreed, "but it's only going to get better—so be ready, because next time you won't win that easily."

"If you say so," I chuckled. "In that case, time for me to take my turn. Gate Card—Set!" I shot a Gate Card over to the space where the Gate we'd just battled on had been. "And now, at long last, Enhancer—Deploy! Rise, Pyrus Alpha Turret!" As I called, a dark red and orange pyramid-like object loomed up on my new Gate. The tip of it opened up to reveal a satellite of some sort. I checked my BakuPod and saw that it had 1100Gs, and was five percent charged and increasing.

"Bakugan Brawl!" I went on. "Stand, Darkus Electro Cybertallion!"

A giant black robot with rays of electricity pulsing and crackling through its body emerged on my Gate Card and started to battle Mutant Mantris. It had 690Gs, which was more than enough to beat Mantris, who only had 580. "Gate Card—Open!" I ordered. "Surging Strength!" Cybertallion roared as energy coursed through his body, causing the electricity around him to crackle with even fiercer intensity as he set upon Mantris without delay.

"Supportive Ability—Activate!" Kate countered. "Graveyard Switch! If I have an Enhancer on the Field that's at least fifty percent charged, I can swap my Bakugan with one that has been removed from the game!" Power surged from Kate's Omega Striker to Ninjitsu Monarus, who was lying on the ground, and caused her to fly over to join the battle. Meanwhile, Mantris returned to ball form and rolled off the Gate, coming to a halt at Kate's feet. I looked at my screen, which showed that Monarus had 620Gs. Still not enough to beat me, but... "Come, Microgan, Aquos Drakoflyer!" shouted Kate. A blue dragonfly with amazingly huge, razor-sharp wings hovered in the air next to Monarus. It had 220Gs. "Now, activate weapon mode!"

The dragonfly assumed the form of a gigantic sword, with its body becoming a long hilt, and its wings folding in to create a huge blade. Monarus then lifted it into the air and began swiping viciously at Cybertallion with it. Kate now had a Power Level of 940Gs, while I had one of 1090.

"You're not going to beat me with a pathetic play like that," I scoffed.

"Yeah?" replied Kate. "I'd better toss in some other things, then. Enhancer—Activate!" I hurriedly checked my BakuPod, which stated that her Omega Striker was at sixty percent. "Now, Micro Ability—Activate!" Kate continued. "Dragonic blade! This Ability can only be used by a Drakoflyer in weapon mode. It adds 300Gs to my total Power Level, but since my Enhancer is now activated, that amount is increased by 180!"

Sure enough, Monarus gained 320G-Power, for a total Power Level of 1260 – 330 more than I had. I looked frantically at my BakuPod, but my Enhancer was only at thirty percent power—not enough to bother activating yet. I'd have to think of something else.

"Alright, I call Microgan, Darkus Panferus!" I said, as the black panther-like machine appeared again. "Activate weapon mode!" Panferus ran up to Cybertallion and latched itself onto his wrist, retracting its tail and opening its mouth to reveal a laser cannon. Cybertallion now effectively had a wrist blaster, which he used to its fullest extent. The Power Levels were now tied, so I added, "Ability—Activate! Black Hole!" 300G-Power was transferred from Monarus to Cybertallion.

"Supportive Ability—Activate!" returned Kate. "Charge Increase! This adds forty percent to my Enhancer's power—but since my Enhancer is currently active at fifty percent, that's actually sixty percent. Even factoring in the power drop for using this card, I'm still at one hundred percent, so, Micro Ability—Activate! Glacier Blade! This can only be used by Aquos Drakoflyer in weapon mode. It adds 350Gs to my Power Level, and with the Enhancer, that's 700Gs!"

"Ability—Activate!" I retorted. "Power Void! Plus, Fusion Ability—Activate! Magnify! Power Void drops your Power Level by 200, and Magnify doubles that! I'm ahead by 300 now!"

"Not for long," smiled Kate. "Micro Ability—Activate! Ultimate Sword of Ice! This can also only be used by Aquos Drakoflyer in weapon mode. It adds 400Gs to my Power Level, and with the Enhancer, that's 760G-Power!" There was nothing more I could do. Monarus raised her enormous sword and sliced my unfortunate Cybertallion to pieces. His remains lay there a moment, with the occasional bolt of energy going _zzt_, then they glowed and rushed together to form a sphere again, which flew off the Gate and landed near my feet. Kate caught her Monarus, meanwhile, and the Gate vanished. "Okay, my turn. Gate Card—Set!" she then shouted, launching a Gate Card over to sit beside her other one, which still had Gryphonoid on it. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Aquos Ninjitsu Monarus!" Once more, the faerie-like Bakugan ascended into the air above her newly-set Gate.

"Bakugan Brawl!" I replied. "Stand, Darkus Dread Ripper!" Dread Ripper rose up on the same Gate and tried to swipe at Monarus with his claws. He had 550Gs, while Monarus had 620Gs. I looked at my BakuPod and saw that my Enhancer was charged to fifty percent. "Enhancer—Activate!" I yelled. "Double Supportive Ability—Activate! Charge Increase, plus Charge Convert! You know only too well what Charge Increase does, but Charge Convert gives my Bakugan G-Power equal to half the current charge percentage of my Enhancer times ten!"

With that, Dread Ripper gained 450Gs and dealt Monarus a nasty blow which sent her flying off the Gate Card. I caught Dread Ripper, and it was now my turn again since Gryphonoid, Kate's only remaining Bakugan, was already standing. I considered the two Bakugan in my clip carefully. It was a choice between Nova and Dread Ripper. Normally I preferred to leave Nova until last, but I only needed one more win, and Nova had a better chance of winning than Dread Ripper...so it was pretty clear which Bakugan I should choose.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Pyrus Assassin Dragonoid!" I shouted, launching Nova over to join Gryphonoid amidst squees of delight from the girls. It was 720Gs versus 1050Gs, which was not particularly in my favour, but I had the means to do something about that. "Okay, I call Microgan, Pyrus Tarantulak and Pyrus Phasorak!" With that, Tarantulak burst into battle beside Nova, while Phasorak, a machine that looked like a bright red bat, went over to the Gate Card that Alpha Turret was set on. "Tarantulak, activate weapon mode and Phasorak, activate ultimate mode!" I continued, looking through my Abilities to see what I had left.

At my bidding, Tarantulak attached itself to Nova's tail. Simultaneously, Phasorak perched on the top of my Alpha Turret and...it was quite amazing—the entire structure appeared to melt and shift and disintegrate all at once, panels moving about, machinery sticking out every which way, until before you could say "ichthyomorph", the entire thing had turned into a dirty great robot, bigger even than my Cybertallion. The fangirls' jaws all dropped comically at the exact same time. I suspect I might have joined in if I hadn't needed to keep on with my combination.

"Supportive Ability—Activate!" I shouted. "Summon Enhancer! I move my Enhancer to this Gate!" My Alpha Turret slid over the battlefield until it was sitting on the Gate Card we were currently battling on. My total Power Level was now at 2600.

"That's not going to be enough!" yelled Kate, hastily pressing some buttons on her BakuPod. "Come, Microgan, Aquos Drakoflyer and Ventus Eagoroth!" A blue dragonfly hovered beside Gryphonoid, and a green eagle flew in circles around her Omega Striker. "Eagoroth! Activate ultimate mode!" continued Kate. At once, the eagle-like machine sat on the top of Omega Striker, which mutated and transformed in a similar manner to Alpha Turret. "Now, attack!" she cried, pointing at Nova and my Enhancer.

Gryphonoid and Drakoflyer promptly obeyed, Gryphonoid engaging in combat with Nova, who struggled to keep him off, and Drakoflyer blasting Alpha Turret with a volley of lasers from its feet, and slashing with its sharp wings. I saw with some concern that much as Phasorak was doing its best to defend Alpha Turret from the hub, my Power Level was still decreasing. It was down to 1800 already, while Kate's was stable at 1270.

"Micro Ability—Activate! Phasor Plus!" I called. "I add 200Gs to Phasorak!" Not only did my Power Level increase, but the power boost helped Phasorak and Alpha Turret to fend Drakoflyer off.

"Gryphonoid, swap places with Drakoflyer!" Kate ordered. At that, Gryphonoid focused his stronger attack on Alpha Turret, while Drakoflyer kept Nova busy by zipping around irritatingly and making sly little jabs at his vulnerable points. While Nova was fighting it away, Gryphonoid ripped and tore at Alpha Turret until... _CRASH!_

"Alpha Turret!" I cried in dismay, as it crumbled in a heap of twisted metal and pulsing electricity, not unlike what had happened to my Cybertallion earlier. This was not good—my Power Level was down to 1600, and though it wouldn't get any lower, I was now unable to activate the only card I had left: my Ultimate Ability. "Come on, Nova! Phasorak! Finish them!" I yelled frantically.

"Too late!" interrupted Kate. "Ultimate Ability—Activate! Wind-Powered Eagle Strike! This Ability can only be used if you have Ventus Omega Striker and Eagoroth in ultimate mode on the Field. It transfers 500Gs from your Power Level to mine! As my Enhancer is charged to twenty percent, that puts me 870Gs ahead! Go for it, Gryphonoid!"

"No, Nova! Hold on!" I shouted in alarm.

"I—I can't! I'm sorry," Nova gasped, as Gryphonoid and Drakoflyer charged at him and sent him back to ball form. The girls at the side gave a chorus of disappointed groans, and tossed their pom-poms moodily to the ground. Their statuesque, scantily-clad bodies didn't seem quite so attractive in this posture. I picked Nova up as he rolled to my feet.

"Are you okay, Nova?" I asked, hoping that the new technology hadn't been too rough on him.

"Not too crash hot," he muttered, "but you've still got to finish this, Phyra. Go ahead."

And I had to satisfy myself with this. Taking Dread Ripper, the last Bakugan from my clip, I loaded him into my BakuPod as Kate launched her guardian into the air, crying, "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Ventus Rune Gryphonoid!"

Gryphonoid rose up on the same Gate Card as Omega Striker and Eagoroth in a whirling fury of wind and darkness, his eyes gleaming from within the shadows. "All shall fall before my wrath, which I wield in the name of the Rune!" he roared.

"Bakugan Brawl!" I shouted, sending my Bakugan over to the other Gate Card. "Gate Card—Open! Void Pull!" This was my ace in the hole, my back-up plan. Sure enough, as Kate's jaw dropped, Gryphonoid was dragged over to join Dread Ripper, and his Power Level was drained to zero.

With a few quick slashes of his claws, Dread Ripper sent Gryphonoid hurtling into the dust, and the Field vanished. The both of us in were left in stunned silence, punctuated only by a queer sort of half-hearted whoop from the cheerleaders. My plan had worked, and even I was surprised.


	13. Chapter Twelve: Bizarre Poetry

**Chapter Twelve – Bizarre Poetry**

"Well," said Kate slowly, after a moment. "I take it all back, Phyra. Perhaps you _are _something of a prodigy. Congratulations."

"Ah, it was just a fluke," I replied, slightly embarrassed by her praise. "I was pretty astounded to see that the Gate worked, really."

"Fluke or no, that was definitely a battle to remember." she said appreciatively.

"I'll second that," I grinned. "Are you free for dinner tonight?"

"In the officer's dining tent?" Kate queried, with a surprised laugh. "Certainly, if you insist."

"See you there, then." I chuckled, turning to enter my tent as she disappeared into the twilight. I settled comfortably into my favourite chair (actually, there was only one chair in the entire tent, but I liked to call it my favourite regardless), and Nova seated himself on my knee. It was a minute or so before he spoke.

"I thought she was gone on Jack." he commented.

"You're reading too much into our banter, Nova," I said with a smile. "We're just old friends. Can't a bloke meet his friend for dinner?"

"Whatever you say." he shrugged. "Nice battle, by the way. Sorry I cocked up like that."

"Don't be silly," I chided. "You were amazing out there! We just need a little more time to get used to all this new equipment—and besides, give Kate some credit for her brawling skills. I may have beaten her, but it took me about five years to do it, and it was a close match."

"Well with some training, it won't be so close next time—and I'll take down Gryphonoid one day, you'll see." he asserted.

"Feeling competitive, are we?" I said knowingly.

He laughed quietly. "Possibly."

* * *

"_Do you want to know what this is, Vyander? It's a device I invented especially for this moment..."_

"_No, don't do it! SIEGE!"_

"_AAAARRGHH! PHYRA! HELP ME! MAKE IT _STOP!_"_

"_You murderer!"_

"GAAAAAHHHH! Siege! Don't go!" I screamed, leaping out of my bed and tripping over a box.

"What is it? What happened?" Nova cried in alarm.

"Nova? Where are you?" I called, feeling disoriented as I groped around for a torch. Finding one, I switched it on, picked myself up and sprawled back onto my bed, staring up into space.

"What happened?" repeated Nova, hovering a few feet away in the air, unblinking in the torchlight.

"Sorry Nova. I—I had another nightmare."

"About Siege?"

"Yeah."

Nova didn't say anything for a minute, but I could tell he was feeling slightly annoyed. "I thought you'd stopped thinking about him." he said at last, with no discernible trace of emotion.

"How could you arrive at such a stupid conclusion?" I demanded, shocked.

"Well," said Nova, "you should really stop dwelling on your past so much and start thinking about your future."

"Meaning I ought to stop thinking about Siege and start thinking about _you?_" I asked coldly.

"Meaning you ought to stop whining about what has already happened instead of focusing on your missions, and get your head in the game!" he snapped.

"Oh, so this is a _game,_ is it?" I growled. "And Siege's death? Is that a game too?"

"You're _still_ going on about him!"

"_You're_ the one who's going on, you nigel!"

"Nigel, am I? Well you're just a—a—a—querulous _baby _with a fixed interest in the dead, and—and in the health and well-being of that dog's breakfast you call a _hairdo!_"

"Yeah, and you're a—"

"HOY! BUGGER UP OVER THERE!" screamed the voice of Corporal Narov from somewhere outside. "People are trying to sleep!"

"Right, sorry, bro!" I yelled back. After that, Nova and I went back to sleep, ignoring each other.

* * *

Several days later...

"Are you ready, guys?" asked Captain Hackett. After some more equipment testing and the like, the interdimensional teleporter was all set to go. Kate and I were now standing in the middle of the big laboratories back at the Central Octagon, ready to embark on our mission to Vestroia. I'll admit I was exhilarated enough to be bouncing around a bit, like a small child, but what the hell, it was so bloody _exciting!_

"I'm ready," Kate said, doing a last-minute check to make sure she had everything.

"Ready?" I echoed, following suit. "I feel like Captain Kremmen, Iron Man and Larry the Cucumber all rolled into one, woman! I'm ready!"

"Okaaay...uh...all systems are go, so one at at time, step through the portal on my signal." Hackett said, flipping some switches as the great, empty frame in front of us lit up inside with a million different shades of colour, forming a tunnel filled with a gleaming rainbow splendour that made me think of a Bakugan Field.

"Alright...go for it!" called Hackett.

"I'll go first," I murmured quietly to Kate. She looked at me and nodded slowly. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes, and stepped through the frame. As I entered the portal, I was aware of a tingling sensation coursing through my body, no doubt because my molecules were unused to being transported from one dimension to another. I briefly heard Kate enter the portal behind me, then we were rushing down the tunnel at high speed. I could feel my heart pumping...blood roaring in my ears...my vision clouding up as the G-forces caused me to black out...

* * *

My eyes opened and I found myself lying on a hard, rocky surface. I tried moving, but my body felt stiff and numb. After a minute of struggling, I managed to stand up shakily as feeling returned to my limbs and I was able to move again, wincing slightly at the bruises I'd gained from my impact. Luckily, nothing seemed to be broken, so for a moment, I stood and looked over my surroundings carefully.

The landscape was mostly rugged mountain ranges and solid stone plains like the one I was standing on now. The air above was still and peaceful, and the sky was clear and bright.

Vestroia. We'd made it here at last. After so many years of living with the Bakugan and hearing of their homeland, I could hardly believe I was finally here. I heard a sharp intake of breath and and turned to see Kate standing behind me.

"It's so beautiful," she breathed, gazing around with wide eyes.

"I know what you mean..." I replied softly. "How's the serenity? So much serenity..."

"After so long, I'm back in my own dimension at last," said Nova—who had now reverted to Bakugan form—his voice strong with emotion.

"So long..." echoed Gryphonoid (who was likewise in Bakugan form) faintly.

I don't know how long the four of us stood there idiotically like that. It was so quiet, a silence that was solemn, but also joyful at the same time. I hadn't realised how much our Bakugan had missed their home, though it made perfect sense...but we couldn't just stay there forever, and I eventually broke the silence, regretting it slightly. "So, Nova, Gryphonoid...any clue as to where in Vestroia we are?" I asked.

"Subterra Space, no doubt," said Nova at once. "Though I wasn't aware that any of the Attribute worlds had sky and land formations."

"The balance of Vestroia was thrown off during the War, altering the structure of the dimensional build," Gryphonoid informed us. "So say the ancient writings in the Book of Runic Knowledge."

"Yeah, that makes sense," I said thoughtfully. "Anyway, what now?"

"Well, we have two objectives, remember?" Kate pointed out. "One is to see if there are any Sektarii here, and the other is to recruit as many Bakugan as possible to fight with us. Now, since the Sektarii will undoubtedly be here for the Bakugan, our best bet for both objectives is to try and locate any Bakugan dwelling here at the moment."

"Fair enough. Will we look together?" I asked.

"Splitting up will work better, since we'll cover more ground, right?" she said reasonably.

"I don't know...the last time I split up with the rest of my friends, it didn't work so well." I answered doubtfully, remembering that ill-fated assignment that had led to the loss of my old guardian. If Nova had still been in ball form, I would have gripped him tightly. As he wasn't, I contented myself with drawing comfort from his warm, fiery eyes.

"Hey, this isn't like last time." Kate said gently. "Besides, I know what happened to Siege was hard for you, Phyra, but you can't let yourself be controlled by fear of losing another guardian. Sometimes you've got to take risks, for the greater good."

I looked at her, then back at Nova. "You're right." I admitted at last. "The sooner we get this job done, the better it will be for everyone. Our soldiers need all the help they can get, and if we get that help there quick enough, it might make all the difference... Just let me know on your BakuPod if anything goes wrong, okay?"

"Okay." she said.

* * *

"Golly, Nova, I don't see any signs of Bakugan anywhere, do you?" I said wearily, after several hours of trekking around Subterra Space.

"Nope," he replied from overhead, where he was flying along and scanning the horizon for signs of life.

"Do you think they _all_ travelled to Starsector when that rift between dimensions appeared?" I wondered.

"It's possible, I suppose," he said dubiously, "but I don't really think it could have happened. I mean, Vestroia is home to uncountable numbers of Bakugan, far more than you see around Starsector—or at least it was in the beginning... No, I'm sure there must be plenty of Bakugan still in Vestroia _somewhere_, unless our numbers were greatly diminished in the final battle that took place between the Hydranoids and the other Bakugan after I—left..."

"Don't think about that," I advised, seeing that he was feeling bad again. "You're sorry for what happened, and I know that if you get the chance, you'll make up for it."

"Yes, I will." he said adamantly, fixing his eyes resolutely ahead once more.

Presently, I noticed a long, low mound of rock ahead. I wasn't feeling very curious, but I went over to look at it anyway, thinking that it would relieve the monotony of the journey. As I examined it, I was surprised to see that there were strange marks scratched on it. "Hey Nova, check out these weird, eldritch markings," I called. "Do you recognise any of them?"

"No," said Nova with interest, scrutinising them intently, "but I think I can safely say that those were made by Bakugan."

"How long ago, do you suppose?" I asked.

"I haven't the foggiest, mate, I'm a Pyrus. I don't specialise in rocks."

"Well, that's no help," I sighed. "These could date back to the beginning of _time_, for all _we_ know."

"No, at the earliest, they'd date back to when the Bakugan first appeared." Nova said practically.

"I knew that. Quit telling me stuff I don't need to hear." I said irritably.

"Well maybe if you'd just stop using your useless exaggerating—"

"Okay, okay, let's just get back to the task at hand." I interrupted, knowing he could go on at me indefinitely if I didn't stop him quickly enough.

"You started it." huffed Nova, returning to the sky.

I just ignored him, and so we pressed on.

* * *

After another half an hour or so, we'd finally come to the end of the plains and reached the mountains near the border of Subterra Space. I was seriously hoping we'd get some positive developments on this mission soon, or my first trip to Vestroia was in danger of becoming a complete flop.

At last, what little patience I'd shown so far was rewarded by the sight of a cave entrance, around which were a large amount of claw prints and scuff marks, which hopefully meant that Bakugan went in and out of there frequently.

"Shouldn't you call Kate now?" asked Nova, who had landed again and was peering inside.

"No point in doing that until we've made sure there's something here worth seeing," I replied lightly, stepping carefully into the dark opening.

"Will I fit in there?" Nova called anxiously as I went further in,

"I think so, but be wary, though. The ceiling is pretty low." I answered distantly, intent on feeling my way along the side of the cave. After a moment's hesitation, Nova crouched down on all fours and followed, his claws picking their way delicately along the rocky floor.

It's hard to say for sure how long we continued on like that, but eventually we came to a large underground chamber, big enough for Nova to stand upright and stretch his wings, which he'd kept folded up until now.

It was pitch black and deadly quiet, but I was getting an uneasy feeling that we weren't alone. My suspicions were confirmed when a moment later, two dark red dots pierced the darkness with an eerie glow. "Who's there?" I called out nervously.

No one answered, and the dots not only came closer, but multiplied to such an extent that the entire chamber was very soon full of glowing dots of various sizes and colours. While that was pretty creepy, there _was_ a positive side to it, however: in the dim light, I could now make out who I was facing, and there was no doubt about it, I was facing a group of Subterra Bakugan.

"Hey, I...er..." I began lamely, wondering how I was going to put this.

"Who are you?" growled the closest Bakugan, who, I was pretty sure, was a Saurus.

"My name is Phyra Vyander, and this is my guardian Bakugan, Nova." I stated, more confidently this time. "We're from the dimension of Starsector." As I was talking, I surreptitiously flipped the switch on my BakuPod which would send Kate the signal that I'd found the Subterra Bakugan.

"Why are you here?" continued the Saurus.

I hesitated for a second, trying to think of a way to explain the situation. I saw, however, that the Bakugan were growing impatient, so I decided to just describe it exactly as it was. "Well, you see," I started, "my people are being attacked by our enemies, the Sektarii. They have carried a grudge against us since our races first met, and now they've declared war on us. Our soldiers are strong, but theirs are more so. If we don't get help soon, we will all be killed, and Starsector will fall victim to darkness. Thus my friend and I have come to ask you, the Bakugan of Vestroia, to aid us in our fight. Will you help us—if only to spare me the trouble of spouting more poetic prose?"

"Why should we interfere in matters that do not concern us?" asked the Saurus, as one or two other Bakugan nodded darkly.

"But it _does_ concern you!" I cried. "Your fellows are enslaved by the Sektarii! I've seen them, and they do not fight willingly, but are forced to act like living weapons. It's horrible! You _must_ help us, if not for our sake, then for the sake of your comrades!" Desperation crept into my voice as I finished.

"It's true." said Nova softly, stepping forward as he spoke up for the first time. A wave of audible gasps emerged from the gathered Bakugan as they looked more closely at him.

"You're a Pyrus?" murmured the Saurus, who was wearing an expression of awe that seemed out of place on his rough features.

"Yes. I am the last Pyrus Bakugan." said Nova, loud enough for everyone to hear him clearly.

"How does this come to pass?" questioned the Saurus.

Nova sighed, though I knew he had expected nothing less, and proceeded to relate, if not his entire past, then at least a summary of it—though I noticed he left out the fact that he was responsible for the deaths of the other Pyrus Bakugan. I couldn't hold that against him, however. If there was one thing we didn't need, it was people complicating things needlessly by assigning blame.

There was a low rumble of muttering amongst the Bakugan. Nova and I waited quietly until they seemed to come to a decision. "I am prepared to believe the word of my fellow Bakugan," said the Saurus, indicating Nova, who nodded curtly, "and if other Bakugan are at risk, then what you ask seems reasonable." At that, I started to relax, and a smile was slowly making its way onto my face, when the next words of the Saurus stopped me in my tracks. "Regretfully, however, we cannot help you." he said at last, with a slight hint of...was it sadness?

"What?" Nova and I gasped in unison.

"We cannot help you." the Saurus repeated simply.

"But...why not?" I asked in dismay.

"We no longer have the power to fight."

"Pardon?"

"Well, if you won't take anything less, I'll start from the beginning," said the Saurus, exhaling sharply with irritation, as he saw that neither Nova nor I were going to move without further explanation. "As you might know, at the height of the Hydranoid War, just before the untoward extermination of the Pyrus Bakugan—or should I say, _most _of the Pyrus Bakugan..." He glanced significantly at Nova, who paled slightly. "Members of all the remaining Attribute groups were trying decide what to do.

"Some of the smarter members of our groups had managed to figure out how the Hydranoids were moving from one Attribute world to another, and, after getting the hang of it themselves, they soon taught the rest of us to do the same, and so we were able to flee from our attackers.

"As it happened, we luckily all ended up in the same area: Inner Space—the centre of Vestroia and home of the two cores. After we dispatched the few Hydranoids guarding the place, our band grew large enough in number that we could hold the enemy off indefinitely. By this time, the bloody battle for Pyrus Space had taken place. Then the leaders of each group formed a plan together, and after a long fight, we defeated and subdued the remaining Hydranoids, all of whom repented and were eventually more or less accepted back into society—except one.

"Darcell, the Hydranoid who had started it all, would not surrender, even with his army in ruins. He was quite evidently insane, and so our leaders had no choice: they set upon him and felled him with one combined attack, ending his life and saving countless others in the process. Thus it was that peace reigned once more in Vestroia, and now we come to the most important part of the story.

"In order to keep the peace, our leaders decided that each Attribute group would form itself a special talisman, which, when activated, would sap the fighting powers of any Bakugan of that Attribute within the dimension. The idea of this was that if a Bakugan should ever rebel like that again, the talisman would be activated by his leaders, and the Bakugan in question would be rendered harmless—"

"But supposing one Attribute group should attack another," I objected, so caught up in the story that I'd momentarily forgotten why I was here, "it wouldn't be any use then."

"Ah, good point," the Saurus conceded, "but see, we could _only _achieve inter-worldly transportation while there were energy waves resonating from the newly-created cores. After a while, the cores settled down and the waves disappeared, rendering us unable to travel between Attribute worlds, so you see, attacking other Attribute groups is no longer possible."

"I see...so what happened next?" I asked eagerly.

"Well, we're not entirely sure who was responsible, but one day, the Rune of Pherexis—that is, our talisman—was stolen, and we assume the unknown thief activated it, for we find ourselves drained of our powers and unable to fight. So you see, even if we wanted to help you, we could not." the Saurus finished wearily.

"Well, what does it look like? Perhaps we can recover it for you." offered Nova.

"It's a circular slab of sandstone, with a rune on each side, and a piece of verse engraved around the circumference—but there's no use trying to find it: only one of us could recognise it for what it is, and we have neither the means to look for it, nor the strength to fight for it if the need arise."

I was thinking furiously, trying to find a way around this, when Kate suddenly showed up. "Hey, did I miss anything?" she queried cheerily, while Gryphonoid padded quietly behind her, his bright eyes taking in every inch of his surroundings.

"Who is this?" asked the Saurus, slightly alarmed.

"Don't worry, she's a friend of mine." I said soothingly. "Kate, meet the Subterra Bakugan."

"Oh, hullo." Kate said, seeming mildly embarrassed.

"Greetings to you, friend—and to you, a fellow Bakugan." the Saurus replied stately.

"Likewise, peace unto you, Ally of the Rune." returned Gryphonoid, inclining his head. I wondered vaguely how he managed to keep up such a steady stream of elderly nonsense.

"So, Phyra—will these Bakugan help us?" questioned Kate, staring up at all the Bakugan surrounding us,

"They can't." I replied shortly, and proceeded to relate to her to story of the stolen talisman. When I finished, she paled slightly, and looked again at the large crowd of Bakugan in the vast chamber.

"This is..." She trailed off quietly, looking at her feet.

_Unfortunate, I know, but it can't be helped. _I finished silently, glancing at Nova, who returned my gaze unblinkingly.

"Absolutely ridiculous!" yelled Kate, with such violence that I jumped about a foot off the ground. I stared at her, dumbstruck. Her eyes were flashing, and she was shaking with anger. "You call yourselves Bakugan?" she seethed, glaring at the Saurus, "you're nothing but a bunch of cowardly has-beens, too scared to do anything but sit here making excuses! You need to fight!"

"But Kate, didn't I just tell you—?" I began, slightly ashamed of the way she was behaving.

"Hogwash," she said vehemently. "I've studied these kinds of things extensively." She looked directly into the Saurus's glowing red eyes. "No Bakugan can truly lose their powers. They're still inside of you somewhere—all you've got to do is find them. For the sake of the enslaved Bakugan, you _must!_"

"But...I don't understand," murmured the Saurus in growing bewilderment. "Our leaders wouldn't lie to us—"

"Their motives were not necessarily bad ones," continued Kate in a slightly quieter voice. "They must have known they couldn't _really _stop you from using your abilities, so they made up that whole talisman thing to make you _think _it was true, hoping that it would be enough to keep the peace."

"But why, then, can we not access our inner strength?" demanded the Saurus.

"Haven't you been listening?" Kate persisted in exasperation. "I told you already, you _do _have it, it's all in your mind. You _believe_ you can't use your abilities, which loosens your control of them. In order to summon them again, you must truly believe that you _can!_"

"Lady," said the Saurus gently, "how can you be sure you speak the truth? You are no Bakugan."

"Maybe not, but one of my dearest friends is a Bakugan, and he possesses a powerful insight into such matters as this." she retorted.

"My Brawler does not lie," said Gryphonoid staidly. "The rune on my forehead connects me to the Rune of Scrabulus, and this connection allows me to tap into the vast stores of knowledge which the Rune holds."

"I'm not following." I whispered to Nova, who nodded.

"Very well," announced the Saurus. "Since the Wise One vouches for you, I will make you this proposition: help us to rediscover our power, and in return, we'll join you in battle."

"We accept your offer, and thank you." Kate replied gravely, while Gyphonoid blushed and simpered at being called "Wise One", until Nova dealt him a sharp jab to the ribs.

"Now, it is getting rather late. Do you require lodging?" inquired the Saurus.

"That's a generous offer, and we're much obliged, but we wouldn't fare well underground, and we don't wish to inconvenience you, so we'll make camp at the surface." I said politely, privately thinking that some underground cave would be the last place I'd want to sleep.

"Fair enough—go then, and we'll begin training tomorrow." With that, the Saurus nodded and went to talk to some of the other Bakugan, while Kate, Nova, Gryphonoid and I turned to leave, resisting the urge to fist-pump.

"That was brilliant, Kate!" I exclaimed, as we exited the chamber. "It's really lucky you knew about that kind of thing. I was certain we wouldn't be getting any help from these guys until you showed up."

"Absolutely," said Nova, "and I'm sure you played quite a part in that too, Gryphonoid."

"Oh, don't make such a meal out of it. After all, even if the Subterras had been unable to help, we'd still have four other Attribute worlds to look in." Kate pointed out, though she seemed to be trying not to smile.

"I imagine you're right—but there's one thing that intrigues me." I said thoughtfully. "They said someone had stolen their 'talisman'. Do you think the Sektarii had anything to do with that?"

"It's a possibility for sure, but why speculate on the matter?" Kate replied, stroking Gryphonoid absently.

"Well, what would anyone want with something like that?" I wondered. "Perhaps they thought it actually worked, like the Subterra Bakugan?"

"Perhaps," Kate answered, but her eyes were filled with doubt.

"Hmm, yes, hmm, yes... Hey," I said suddenly, changing the subject. "Nova and I saw some rather unusual symbols scratched on some rocks back there. We were wondering what they mean, and how old they are. Do you think Gryphonoid can figure it out?"

"Probably," said Kate, giving her guardian a fond smile. "Why don't you show us where they are?"

"Um, they're a bit of a way off," I confessed, remembering that it had taken a fair amount of walking to get from those rocks to this cave. "I'd rather rest awhile first."

"Oh, don't be such a pessimistic sheila. Nova can always carry you, can't he?" Kate grinned, as Gryphonoid stooped so that she could climb onto his back.

"Why didn't _I_ think of that?" I gasped faintly, rooted to the spot with amazement.

"Because you're a ditz." chortled Nova.

"You're no better," I retorted heatedly. "You didn't think of it either!"

"Get a move on, you two. The Followers of the Rune believe that the earlier you start, the better." chided Gryphonoid, who, once Kate had settled herself comfortably just in front of his wings, had taken off (relatively) easily and was hovering a couple of metres in the air with as much grace as an ancient griffon-shaped monster like him could muster.

"Start what?" I muttered, clambering up awkwardly onto Nova's back. Grasping one of the straps on his armour, I looked over his sylphlike form, considering where to sit. I eventually picked the spot right behind his head, where I had a pretty good view and wasn't in too much risk of being impaled on the rows of razor-sharp spikes running down his spine to the tip of his tail.

"Are you ready yet? Or do we need to wait until you've chosen what kind of nuts you'll have on your flight?" yawned Kate. Gryphonoid laughed. Nova mumbled and shuffled his feet. I glowered a moment, before announcing haughtily that I was ready.

Nova took off at my signal, rising through the air with the speed and natural assurance that only creatures made for flying can possess. I'll admit I was slightly uneasy at first, but once I'd got the hang of it, flying was the most wonderful sensation I'd ever experienced. Sure, it wasn't quite like falling to the ground and missing, but it was still amazing beyond description—so much so that I was sorry when we reached our destination, even though the whole point of the flight had been to get there quicker.

"So," said Kate, once we'd landed, "where exactly are these so-called markings?"

"Right there." I announced ceremoniously, indicating the scratches, which were directly in front of her.

"Right, I totally knew that." she said, inspecting them carefully. "Hey, Gryph, what does the Rune tell you about these?"

"Let me see," said Gryphonoid slowly, lowering his great, shaggy head so he, too, could get a glimpse of the marks etched onto the stone in front of us. After a moment his eyes took on a faint, eerie glow, not unlike that of the eyes of the Subterra Bakugan, which had so unnerved me at first sight. A few hesitant moments passed, then he looked up again and said in a haunting, monotonous voice, disturbingly similar to his regular voice, "I believe these symbols are of Caelvish—that is, an ancient script used by the descendants of Subterra Clayf, one of the Legendary soldiers of Vestroia."

An impressive silence followed these words, rendered slightly less impressive by the fact that Gryphonoid chose that precise moment to grin happily for his own mysterious reasons.

"Well, what do they say?" I pressed, after another, more awkward silence which clearly signified that nothing more was forthcoming without some gentle prompting.

"Yeah, come on, Gryph," Kate urged eagerly. "Pray tell all."

"It would seem as though it is a message to all Bakugan," said Gryphonoid pompously. "Running thus:

_'The pure light of righteous sight—golden eye of the sky meets_

_The blade of the deadly night, with its dark powers._

_United with the ph'rexic stone to create the replica, in which_

_The soul of the father searches for the son,_

_And the icy spike, containing the powers of sea and storm_

_Completes the node, and lastly, the windy trail paves the way_

_To that which the tyrant seeks.'_"

Another awkward silence, then... "Am I the only one here who thinks that sounded like a load of meaningless drivel?" I asked disgustedly. "I mean, none of that made any sense whatsoever!"

"No, I'd second that statement." said Kate drily.

Nova spoke up. "I think it's some kind of code." he said.

"That would be it," I hypothesised, "unless whoever wrote that was some kind of nutcase who enjoyed scribbling bizarre poetry onto the landscape."

"How can you call it poetry when it doesn't rhyme?" demanded Kate.

"Not all poetry has to rhyme." I replied with the patronising air of one who is amused by a child's silly questions.

"Says who?"

"Says me—and can we save this discussion for another time? What's for dinner?" I hastily changed the subject for a second time.

"Nice subject change," Kate remarked sarcastically, before adding in a more generous tone, "but I'll indulge you just this once. You said you'd take the first turn cooking, so it's up to you, but shall we set up camp first?"

"Fine," I sighed wearily, "let's go back in that direction and pitch the tent closer to the caves where our Subterra friends are. Sound good?"

"Sounds good—particularly if you'll cook olives and strawberry curry tonight."

"Normally I'd spew on the spot at an absurd proposition like that, but since I know for a fact that all we've got is processed-processed-processed broccoli-and-mint pasties, I'll leave you to dream on." I replied with a smug grin.

"Barring all comment on broccoli-and-mint pasties," Kate said drily, "what's the story with the 'processed-processed-processed' part?"

"Triple-processed for maximum vileness." I explained. "The boys at catering are campaigning for a raise again."

"Oh." she muttered.

* * *

The following day, we met with the Subterra Bakugan just outside the entrance to their "den", as I'd privately named it, where we'd decided to begin their training.

Now that the Bakugan had come out into the open, I could see that there really weren't many of them left. They were mostly Tuskors, Wormquakes and Rattleoids, though there were a smattering of Manions and Hynoids, a couple of Stinglash, and even, I was surprised to see, a Diamonix Claever (translates as "descendant of Clayf" in the Caelvish language), who went by the name of Fyrran. They seemed to have adopted the Saurus (whose name, we'd discovered, was Tristos) as their unspoken leader since their previous head, a Gorem known as Rofare, had died a while back.

I asked Tristos whether there were any more Bakugan in Subterra Space, but he said that as far as he knew, the rest of the Subterra Bakugan had vanished over the years. I was determined to find out why, but right now, we had to concentrate on our current task: helping these Bakugan regain control of their powers.

* * *

"Okay, you guys," I commanded, "form a line and take turns trying to hit that boulder over there."

We'd split the Subterra Bakugan (or "Hirakchi", as they referred to themselves—no doubt their clan name) into four groups, with Kate, Gryphonoid, Nova and me selecting one each to train. My group consisted of mostly Rattleoids, with a Manion and Fyrran, the Diamonix Claever.

"Okay, Master Phyra." said the Bakugan at the front of the line, a young Rattleoid by the name of Synthiarch, which literally translated as either "slipstream", or "complimenter".

"Um, you don't have to keep calling me that." I mumbled softly, embarrassed by all the admiration I was getting. Synthiarch didn't seem to hear as she slithered up to the humongous obelisk of stone I'd pointed out and tried to shoot beams of energy at it from her eyes. After a moment, it was clear that nothing was going to happen, so I told her to move to the side and let the next Bakugan have its turn. As the line of Bakugan slowly moved forward, I grew more troubled with each new attempt to destroy the boulder.

I'd asked Kate earlier why the Bakugan couldn't just use their more primitive tools of war, such as claws, fangs and melee weapons. "Surely," I'd pointed out, "they are able to use_ those_ at the very least, and those alone could make a huge difference to the outcome of the war."

"No, I don't think so," she'd objected. "You know as well as I do that Bakugan are at their most powerful state when they are able to harness their energy and unleash it at the opponent. Bringing in a bunch of Bakugan who can only fight at a fraction of their power will only endanger both our chances of winning _and _the Bakugan themselves. No, we'll just have to keep going."

And, though not without more than my fair share of muttering and sighing, I'd agreed. I tried to clear my head and focus on instructing the Hirakchito control their energy. Nearly everyone in the line had had a go, and it was now time for Dozaarch, the Subterra Manion, to take his turn. _Come on, you can do it... _I thought desperately, as he flew up and roared at the boulder, preparing to attack. For a split-second, which seemed to last an age, nothing happened, then... I saw his claws begin to take on a faint glow. He was doing it!

"That's the ticket, Dozaarck! Attack!" I yelled in encouragement, as the giant brown sphinx swiped viciously at the rock face in front of him. However, he couldn't hold on to his power for long, and the glow in his claws died down before his attack was halfway finished. I wasn't disappointed, however—it was a start, at last. "Well done." I approved, once he'd landed. Dozaarch smiled briefly, then padded away.

I looked and saw that there was one Bakugan left in the line: Fyrran. Here, I took the chance to inspect him more closely. His body was shaped something like a spinning top—a large torso and slender waist—with a ring of diamonds set around his chest. He didn't have legs, but hovered along the ground. His head was encased in a crested helm, wrought with a mysterious pattern which matched that of the enormous plates covering his shoulders, and he carried a queer-looking axe, almost a meat cleaver on a stick.

I watched carefully as he floated over to his target and raised this axe, seemingly deep in concentration, though I couldn't tell for sure since I couldn't see his face. After a tense pause, the tip of the axe gleamed with a brilliancy that nearly blinded me, and grew brighter with every passing second as energy burst forth from Fyrran's core and flowed through his fingertips, concentrating on one deadly point. The glare was past unbearable when Fyrran finally gave a great, echoing battle cry that sounded suspiciously like "FISHSTICKS!" and brought the axe down with such tremulous force that the boulder was split in half down the centre.

There was an astonished silence, then a deafening roar as the other Hirakchi applauded wildly. A grin broke out on my face despite myself, and I strode up to Fyrran and shook his hand. "Excellent job, Fyrran," I said. "That's enough for the time being, you lot. We'll have another crack at this later." I addressed the last part of my comment to the group in general, then as they slowly began to disperse, I asked Fyrran if I could have a word with him, and he assented in a deep, steady voice.

I fell into stride beside him as he hovered along, and we talked of small things. Eventually though, my curiosity got the better of me and I asked him what it was like to be descended from one of the six Legendary Soldiers, and whether there were any others like him. After some thought, he said seriously that he didn't think he was ready to live up to his ancestor's name, but he was sure he'd know when he'd gained enough power and experience to be able to fight for his fellow Bakugan like Clayf had.

"As to your other question, as far as I know, I am Clayf's last living descendant, therefore I must one day accept the responsibility that this brings, and I will, when I'm ready—" he began.

"But why should you have to deal with pressure like that just because you're descended from him?" I broke in, mystified. "Clayf was a mighty hero, but it's not as though he was a _king _or anything. Why should you be made to follow in his footsteps?" I spoke that last bit indignantly, almost angrily. I hated for anyone to think, as a matter of course, that they were expected to be just like their forbears.

"Made?" I saw Fyrran blink in confusion through the slit in his visor. _"Made?"_ he repeated, with a small, gravelly laugh. "No one _made_ me do anything. Pursuing Clayf's original goal is a decision I made myself, many years ago. Fitting it is, then, that my name means 'follower'."

"Oh." I said. "Well, fair enough, then. I respect a person who tries to settle his future for himself. Tell me, though, what makes you so sure you're not ready yet? After all, _you_ did the best in that exercise just then. The only other Hirakchi Bakugan who came even _close _to your performance was Dozaarch, and he barely made a mark on that boulder. Don't you think that's a sign?"

Fyrran made a non-committal gesture, before replying with, "It might be. It might not be. All I know is that I don't _feel _ready, so I guess I'll just wait until the moment I am aware of my aptitude for the task ahead of me."

"I hope for your sake that moment doesn't come too late." I murmured softly, and we walked on in silence.

* * *

We continued to train over the next few days, and the Hirakchi grew gradually stronger as more and more of them regained control of their energy. It was still fairly slow going, however, until Kate had the idea of using Ability and Gate Cards to prompt the Subterras along. With a stash of various cards to hand, and the help of Nova, Gryphonoid and Fyrran (who had by now thoroughly mastered his abilities), we made much faster progress, and within a week, the Hirakchi were finally ready for action.

True to his word, Tristos solemnly pledged himself and his fellows to our cause. After some debate as to how to proceed from there, I used my BakuPod V2 to set up a temporary portal back to our military encampment in Starsector. The Hirakchi then went through this portal, after making their final thanks and receiving directions as to who to report to. Before they left, however, I bid Fyrran a particular goodbye, and told him quietly that I hoped he would gain his self-confidence soon.

"Thank you, and farewell, my friend." he replied formally. "May you stay strong, and your courage never fail you. _Aryatras nastath morran blueberry._" This last I assumed to be some sort of ancient blessing used by his kind. Although I wasn't sure about the blueberry part. At any rate, with that, he stepped through the portal.

On an impulse, I called out one of our old sayings after him in return as he vanished from my sight: "May Fate look kindly upon you and grant you safe crossing to the Next World!" I thought I heard him speak again, but his reply was too faint to hear.

* * *

"So, what now?" I queried, as twilight fell upon the now completely deserted mountains and plains of Subterra Space.

"I imagine," said Kate, not looking up from the notebook she was scribbling in, "we should set up another portal and try to get through to the next Attribute world."

"What are you doing?" I asked, leaning over to try and get a look at what she was writing.

"I'm keeping a logbook." she replied matter-of-factly.

"That's a nifty idea," I mused, looking vaguely over to where Nova and Gryphonoid were conversing in low, muttering tones. "What _are _those two talking about?" I added, staring at them more intently.

"Oh, probably some private joke or something." Kate murmured disinterestedly, still jotting down notes and the occasional sketch in her book. I shot a perfunctory glance at the page she was working on, then strode over to the two Bakugan, intending to ask them if everything was alright. Nova surprised me, however, by turning towards me as I approached, and speaking before I could even open my mouth.

"Phyra," he said, "I was asking Gryphonoid whether the Rune of Scrabulus could tell him why Bakugan have been continuing to disappear from Vestroia, but it appears he only got a clue, which we're trying to make sense of now."

"Can't the Rune just tell you, Gryph?" I said pointedly. "I mean, it's supposed to be all-knowing and so on and so forth."

"I never said the Rune knew everything," Gryphonoid returned testily, "and for your information, it _always_ speaks to me in vague hints and riddles. I just normally don't have any trouble deciphering them."

"Well it's all in your head anyway, isn't it?" I muttered under my breath, before adding aloud, "So, what's this supposed clue?"

Gryphonoid cleared his throat. "It's a piece of verse that goes like this:

_'It was said long ago, that the fabric of space, evil would shatter,_

_And when this came to be, shifted between dimensions was living matter.'_"

There was a thoughtful pause, then I went ahead and stated the most obvious-sounding answer. "It sounds to me like it's hinting that the Bakugan went to another dimension." I said. "And the Rune's poetry has rubbish metre. Just saying."

"You're probably right about the dimension part—but what do you suppose it means by 'the fabric of space, evil would shatter'?" Nova asked slowly, while Gryphonoid muttered something about shooting the messenger, and also something about peanuts.

"Well," I said uncertainly, "I think it's referring to some kind of dimensional rift. That would make sense, seeing as it's how you guys came to _our_ dimension... Oh, hold on..." I broke off, not wanting to say what had just occurred to me.

"What is it?" asked Nova.

"Suppose," I said solemnly, "that the rift it's referring to is the one that brought all you Bakugan to Starsector. That being the case, if this verse is really true, then what evil created the rift, and why?"

* * *

Since no solution presented itself, even after consulting Kate, we eventually had to give up on the problem and focus on our mission. Worrying about hypothetical questions concerning rifts and mysterious evils could wait. Our war with the Sektarii couldn't. So we set up a portal, and, hoping our coordinates were correct, we stepped through and once again entered the shining passageway that would transport us to the next Attribute world.

As I was ready for it this time, the transition wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as it had been coming from Starsector to Subterra Space, and since the journey was shorter, I didn't black out entirely, although I _did_ begin to feel rather dizzy. My landing, however, wasn't pretty. I smashed into the ground with a dull _thud_, not hard enough to seriously injure myself, but certainly hard enough to knock the air out of my lungs. Bright pinpoints of light burst before my eyes, and I heard a slight groan which told me that Kate was nearby, and I guessed that Nova and Gryphonoid were there somewhere too.

My vision was almost back to normal, but amidst the hazy light that seemed to press in on me, there was an oddly-shaped dark patch that seemed out of place. Frowning, I scrutinised it carefully, then as my vision cleared completely, I realised it was a hand. Someone was offering to help me up. I grasped the hand in mine and clumsily scrambled to my feet, inhaling sharply as my breathing went back to normal. While I did so, I got a good look at our surroundings.

A bright, sunlit sky. Brilliant, shining plains stretching as far as the eye could see. A broad, flat horizon that glittered and sparkled in the sun above. The odd group of low, white and gold hills here and there...

Then I caught sight of the owner of the hand I'd taken: a Bakugan—Staryanoid, in a set of white and gold armour with purple highlights, over which she wore flowing white robes, embroidered with golden symbols that seemed vaguely to resemble the sun. The crest of her purple helm was crafted to look like one of these same symbols. From beneath said helm, an enormous quantity of black hair cascaded down her back, reaching almost to her feet. Aside from all this, however, there was something strange about her. It took me a minute for me to figure it out, but I eventually did, though not without some slight unease: she had pale skin-so pale, that she looked like a corpse...which was, in fact what she appeared to be—a Bakugan that seemed, to use the term, _undead_.

As I was thinking this over wildly, Kate, having picked herself up, walked over to stand beside me. She seemed about to say something when she also saw the strange Bakugan and stopped, dead still. For a moment, the three of us just stood and stared at each other. Finally, however, the Bakugan spoke.

"Greetings, Brawlers." she said in soft, fluting tones that didn't quite seem to match her bizarre appearance. "I am Ahryall, Haos Lych Leonae, and descendant of Haos Lars Lion, Legendary Haos Soldier of Vestroia. On behalf of my fellow Riachas, I welcome you to Haos Space."


	14. Chapter Thirteen: The Calm Before

**Chapter Thirteen – The Calm Before the Storm**

The Riachas turned out to be a small group of Haos Bakugan who lived in an intricate maze of beautiful crystal dwellings that stood proudly above the surface, connected by many shining underground tunnels. They ranged from a multitude of Fear Rippers and Saurii, with a fair few Centipoids, Griffons and Mantris, to a couple of Tigrerras and Tentaclear. There was also Ahryall, the Lych Leonae who had obligingly led us to the home of the Riachas, and her father, Zhephyr, likewise a Lych Leonae and incidentally the head of the Riachas. We met for the first time when Ahryall, having received my request to speak to their leader with calm affirmation, brought us to him for an audience.

On seeing Zhephyr, at first I was struck by his resemblance to his daughter, but on looking more closely, I realised that there was actually quite a bit of difference, as might be expected. Zhephyr's complexion was darker, his eyes were red, while Ahryall's were gold, his armour was highlighted with gold rather than purple, and his robes were gold with white symbols rather than vice versa. As I looked at him, I found myself thinking that here was a Bakugan I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of. He held us with a steady, unblinking gaze. His face was expressionless, his thoughts unreadable. His name translated as "the calm before the storm", and this just about described his character perfectly.

"Welcome, Brawlers, and your Bakugan, also." he said at last, nodding to Nova and Gryphonoid. "We have been expecting you."

"Expecting?" I repeated politely.

"The Orb of Foresight, a powerful artefact that has been kept by the Riachasfor generations, predicted your approach."

"So you knew we were coming." I said slowly, trying to get my head around the unexpected information.

"Correct. We know who you are, and why you're here." he said calmly.

"Great," said Kate brightly. "So will you—"

"However," Zhephyr interrupted sharply, "I regretfully admit that the Orb was, in fact, stolen. This is serious enough in itself, but as it happens, this incident took place _before _the Orb had informed us of your motives."

"But you just said you know why we're here," Kate protested, confused.

"You misunderstood me, Brawler. Allow me to elucidate: we know you want us to fight for your cause, but we _don't _know whether or not your cause is a worthy one."

"Is that all?" I began. "Because I can easily explain—"

"And how do we know we can trust your word?" Zhephyr asked, looking at me seriously.

"Our guardian Bakugan can vouch for us." I replied without hesitation.

"That may well be, but would you kindly point out to us why we can trust your Bakugan any more than you?" Zhephyr countered. "They may be one species with us, but they come from different worlds, different clans that have been held apart from ours for centuries. Who is to say that all Bakugan are of pure intent? We need only remember the foul work of the Hydranoid Darcell to know that this is not always so."

"You're not big on trust, are you?" Kate asked irritably.

"Only the most foolish of beings would blindly place their reliance on a mere stranger," Zhephyr returned acidly, "especially one who has not in any way or form demonstrated their goodwill to those who are being asked to place said reliance."

"Hold on—did you say your Orb had been stolen?" I questioned, noticing something.

"Enough." said Zhephyr firmly. "I will not discuss anything further with you until we have decided whether or not you are trustworthy."

"And how are you supposed to decide that?" Kate retorted hotly. I nudged her, reminding her silently that we needed to keep our cool if we were going to maintain any semblance of civility here.

"As it happens, that will be rather simple." said Zhephyr, smiling suddenly. "All you need to do is pass the Test."

* * *

"So, what exactly does this _Test_ involve?" I asked Ahryall as she escorted us out of Zhephyr's conference chamber.

"Patience, Brawler" she answered cryptically. "You'll find out soon enough." I wasn't particularly reassured by that. The others didn't seem bothered, however, so I kept my peace, trusting that these Bakugan wouldn't harm us.

Presently, we arrived at the entrance to what looked to be a perfectly ordinary cave, except with one difference: it was made purely from marble that was white as snow, and gleamed brightly in the dazzling sunlight so typical to Haos Space weather. Two Griffons stood guard outside, but inside, there was only a thick, mysterious blackness, and I couldn't see if the cave was empty or not. Sinister as this appeared, it seemed we didn't have any choice but to go in.

"You'll take the Test inside," said Ahryall, motioning to the Griffons to let us through. "I cannot accompany you, but I wish you luck. There is something about you that leads me to believe you are not of evil intent. You need only pass the Test to convince my father of your sincerity."

"But how do we pass?" I asked urgently as Kate, Nova, Gryphonoid and I entered the cave.

"I am sorry, but that is something you need to figure out for yourselves. Good fortune, and mind the mad turnips. They're somewhat rowdy at this stage of the solar season." With that, she vanished. A stone was rolled over the cavern entrance, leaving us in complete darkness.

"Uh, so, what do you think will happen now?" Kate asked nervously, drawing slightly closer to me. I indicated mutely that I had no idea. Meanwhile, Nova and Gryphonoid peered around the cave, their glowing eyes casting flickering lights here and there along the walls. By the aforementioned lights, I could dimly make out that we were in a small, circular cavern, devoid of any signs of present life besides our esteemed selves, and empty of any decorations or furnishings except for an odd-looking podium which stood about two feet high in the centre of the cavern. There were no other entrances or tunnels leading anywhere. It was just us and this chamber.

I was about to speak when suddenly a horrible, rending noise arose, like thick material being ripped to shreds. A portal appeared in the air, above and behind the podium. Unlike the portals I was accustomed to, this one was a dark purple colour, full of moving black shapes, swirling slowly around each other, like fish in a pool. It was not bright, by any means, but nevertheless it lit up the cavern with a faint, cold, indigo glow. By its ghostly light, I could see Kate and the Bakugan, staring at it, transfixed. I looked back at it myself, and the four of us stood there silently for some time—I don't know how long, exactly. If you've ever been underground for substantial periods of time, you'll understand what I mean.

None of us spoke. It was as though we were waiting by unspoken agreement for something... Or for some_one_. As if on cue, the portal began to gleam—faintly at first, then stronger, becoming brighter and brighter until it was pure white and shining with a fierce, unbearable light that caused us to turn away in agony for a moment... Then it faded slightly, and out of it came a Bakugan. I needed to see it only for a split-second before I immediately recognised it: Haos Lars Lion, Legendary Soldier of Vestroia.

Lars Lion floated gently out of the portal and settled herself on the podium, looking around at us all with a calm gaze that reminded me (quite understandably) of Ahryall, her descendant. Unlike Ahryall, however, Lars Lion didn't look undead at all but warm and living, bright as a beam of sunlight, powerful as a stroke of lightning.

"Greetings to you, Brawlers," she said in a voice which was quiet, but that carried a certain, baffling resonance, "and to you, Nova and Roximor. I can see from your expressions that you recognise me, and through ways of my own, I know who you all are, so let us not waste time with tedious introductions and proceed with Test, right after I hear the questions I sense you are itching to ask of me. Please proceed."

"I thought you went to the Doom Dimension," I said awkwardly, after an expectant pause. "So how did you get here?"

Lars Lion smiled. "Have you not guessed already?" she said, amused.

"This portal," I said hesitantly. "It leads to the Doom Dimension?"

"Correct."

"My lady," Nova said courteously, "if you are able to create these portals, why don't you and all the other Bakugan in the Doom Dimension come out? We could certainly do with the Six Legendary Soldiers on our side these days."

The smile slid from Lars Lion's face in an instant, and she gave a small sigh before replying. "I wish you hadn't asked me that, Nova, for it pains me to answer," she said quietly, closing her eyes. "Still, it is a fair question, and so I will tell you...

"The Doom Dimension isn't called _the eternal demise of all Bakugan for nothing_. Once sent there, it is said a Bakugan can never return, and—by and large—this is an apt statement. However, as you can see, I am here in Vestroia, safe and whole. This is because the properties of this cave strengthen what little of my power I have regained, allowing me to visit this location temporarily. In fact, it would be much more accurate to say that once sent there, a Bakugan can never _permanently_ return.

"Even so, _never return_ is still quite close to the truth for most Bakugan, because as far as I know, I myself, the remaining Legendary Soldiers and a select few others are the only Bakugan currently possessed of the ability to create portals from the Doom Dimension to other dimensions, and the locations we can warp to are scarce. On top of that, as I said, we can only remain here for a short time, since we lack the strength to keep our molecular structure intact here for extended periods.

"As for the other Bakugan, they cannot escape from the Doom Dimension using our portals, for they, being weaker than us, do not possess the power to remain here even for a minute. They would disintegrate immediately on entering another dimension."

There was a grim silence at these words. But we couldn't remain quiet forever, and presently, Kate spoke up. "Why did you address Gryphonoid as _Roximor_?" she asked curiously.

"Why, because that is his name, of course." Lars Lion said in a surprised tone. Kate and I exchanged looks at that, while a queer expression crossed Gryphonoid's face. We all knew what she meant, of course.

All Bakugan belong to one or other of many various Bakugan species, also known as types, for example, Dragonoid or Mantris—and often, we tend to treat a Bakugan's type as its name. However, every Bakugan also has its own unique name—its _true_ name, if you will—for example, Tristos, meaning "tri-horn", or Ahryall, meaning "sun" or "beacon". This name is not a name given to the Bakugan by its parents, but a name it is born with, hidden deep inside its being—engraved on its soul, some persons go so far as to allege. Once a Bakugan learns their name, they are forever marked out as an individual, forever set apart from all other Bakugan of that type and Attribute, for no two Bakugan share a name.

Very few Bakugan discover their name, and the process of finding differs for every Bakugan. Some Bakugan don't discover their name personally, but find that others close to them discover it first, though instances like that are exceedingly rare. Nova, of course, knew his name, though he'd never told me how, as it was something personal and I'd known better than to ask. Conversely, Jack's Dread Ripper still hadn't found his name, and neither, until now, had Gryphonoid.

"Roximor..." Gryphonoid murmured, looking dazed. "'speaker', 'historian'... My name."

"I like it," Kate grinned, "but do you mind if I shorten it to Rox when we're in a hurry?"

"If you insist." he said with a small smile.

"That would mean 'speak', or 'history'." I quipped, but received only studious indifference on the part of the others.

"I hate to dampen the happy event," said Nova, clearing his throat self-consciously, "but are we allowed to know how the Test works yet?"

"I suppose we really should get on to that, shouldn't we..." murmured Lars Lion, before adding in normal tones, "of course—it's quite simple, really. I am gifted with inner-sight—that is, I can look into the minds and souls of creatures and discover a lot about them, including, as it were, their intentions. When the Riachas found that I could visit them here, they asked me to use my gifts to keep them safe, and as they are my own kindred, what else could I do but accept? Thus it is that they have brought you to me, that I might look inside you to see if you are a threat to them."

"If you suspected us, why were you so friendly?" Kate questioned, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of someone probing her soul (and who can blame her? I can't say I was that happy about it myself).

"Well, I can't say I suspected you as such—after all, you seem harmless enough," Lars Lion replied gravely, "but appearances can be deceiving, and I do owe a certain duty to my family."

"We understand." Roximor said hastily, seeing that Kate still didn't look convinced. "Please proceed with your testing."

"Very well, who will go first?" Lars Lion invited. After moment's low discussion, Roximor volunteered. Without further ado, Lars Lion looked intently at him, and their eyes met—hers widening and turning bright cyan, his remaining their normal red colour, but darkening slightly. "You are of peaceful intent." she said at last. "Congratulations, you pass my test."

"Thank you, m'lady." he said shyly, padding off to the side a little way.

"I'll go next." Kate said with an odd catch to her voice, as though she were torn between two decisions. Lars Lion gazed into Kate's eyes as she had done with Roximor. There was a minute's silence, then Lars Lion said, "You also pass the Test. Go freely and do what you can to help my people, that they may help you in return."

"Thanks." said Kate, looking relieved. Before I could ask her what she'd been so worried about, it was my turn. I looked deep into Lars Lion's eyes...saw them change...felt light...dizzy...sensed an alien presence probing my being...the world seemed to turn upside down...everything went black for a split-second... Then, like a thunderclap, I was back to normal. Lars Lion informed me that I had, like Kate and Roximor, passed the Test. I grinned slightly, feeling somewhat light-headed, then stood back as Nova stepped forward to be tested.

As with the rest of us, Lars Lion stared hypnotically at him, but this time, her eyes didn't go cyan, they went black. She took a lot longer with him than with the rest of us, and when she'd finished, there was evidently something bothering her. "Nova, you are the last of the Pyrus Bakugan, are you not?" she asked slowly.

"Yes, m'lady." he replied uncertainly, not sure where this was going.

"I sense there is a darkness in you," she frowned. "Something happened during the Hydranoid War. Something terrible."

Nova paled visibly. "I'd rather not talk about it." he said quietly. A glance from Lars Lion told him she understood, and she bent over to him and whispered something in his ear. None of us heard what it was, but he seemed to perk up slightly at her words. Then, with a smile and a bright flash of light, Lars Lion was gone—vanished back to the Doom Dimension to endure the torments of her never-ending afterlife.

* * *

"So, you passed, then?" I asked of Nova as we re-entered the blinding sunlight once more.

"Yes, she said I passed." he said, in a tone that made it clear he wasn't about to elaborate on the matter. I let it go and proposed we make our way back to Zhephyr's conference chamber, with the intention of speaking to him about recruiting the Riachas to help our armies. The others speedily agreed and we proceeded to dash over as fast as we possibly could whilst retaining what little dignity we had left after half a lifetime of teenage shenanigans.

On entering, however, we found the place deserted. This was quite disconcerting, as we'd been told Zhephyr spent nearly all his waking moments there. We hailed a passing Fear Ripper and were informed that Zhephyr was in his living quarters. After receiving directions, we turned a corner, took a shortcut through a corridor, sped up a glistening crystal ramp and found ourselves in a place that might be described closest as being a like hotel lobby—a wide room with ample desks, tables, chairs and glittering chandelier-like crystals hanging from the ceiling. While this setting might have been nice enough in a normal situation, it was quite confronting today, as all was in complete uproar. The place was full of Bakugan, some bellowing orders, others tearing around like headless chickens.

Kate, Nova, Roximor and I stood dumbly in the midst of it all for a second, staring in stunned confusion at the noisy, disorganised crowd of Bakugan and wondering what it could all possibly mean.

Eventually some of my sense was restored to me and I managed to get a shrieking Centipoid to stay still and listen to me long enough to tell me what I wanted to know. With some difficulty, he was finally able to comply and hiss out a terrible piece of news: Zhephyr was dying.

* * *

"How's he doing?" I asked sombrely.

"Not so good." replied the Tigrerra who was crouching by the bedside.

After a lengthy argument with the guards at the door, we'd been admitted to Zhephyr's bedchamber to see him. A tearful Ahryall was kneeling by his side, neither speaking nor moving. Her eyes were fixed on her dying father's face. Zhephyr himself didn't actually look like someone who was dying. On the contrary, he looked quite the same as normal, though perhaps a little paler.

No one was sure why he'd been taken ill so sudden, but since he wasn't showing any signs of any known diseases or poison-induced states, his condition was looking rather like a stroke. He was staring around blankly, lying perfectly still for the most part, though he'd occasionally thrash around weakly.

Kate and I looked at each other hopelessly, wondering what was going to become of everything now. If Zhephyr died, Ahryall would be the next leader of the Riachas, but would she be in any shape to help us, or would her grief cause her to seclude herself in a mental shell of sorts, and refuse to speak to us? Or worse still, would she hate us? Somehow blame us for her father's death? Grief does strange things to people, as I knew only too well, and I'd been acquainted with Ahryall far too briefly to be able to guess how she'd react. We had to hope, therefore, that Zhephyr would make it. Looking at him, though, and seeing his life force visibly draining away, I had to admit it was a small, pathetic hope, really.

As if to decrease my optimism even further, Zhephyr suddenly gave a great heave and gasped, looking at his daughter wildly. He seemed to be trying to say something, but struggling to do so. Ahryall gave an anguished cry and called frantically for the Tigrerra to do something.

The Tigrerra looked around helplessly, then found a crystal phial of what I took to be a painkiller, which she poured down Zhephyr's throat. His breathing slowed a bit and he managed to speak in a low, rasping tone. His eyes were wide and glazed over with agony, but they didn't leave Ahryall's for a moment as he said, "Ahryall—my daughter... I am—near my end."

"But why, Father?" wailed Ahryall, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"It is—my time. You—are the last of our line... You are the rightful leader of the Riachas, too—but first and foremost..." His words died in a fit of coughing, blood spraying forth from his lips and spattering all over the bed. Before he became unintelligible, he made one last effort to finish. "You are now—Lars Lion's one remaining descendant. Remember—your duty...Ahryall...my..." He gave one last cough, then fell silent, staring up at the ceiling with empty, lifeless eyes.

Ahryall collapsed at Zhephyr's side, too grieved to care who was watching. Muffled, quiet sobs could be heard as I exited, followed by Kate, Nova, Roximor and the Tigrerra, feeling guilty at having witnessed the dramatic event, and worried about what was to follow.

* * *

"What are we going to do now?" asked Kate quietly, as we were walking back to the conference chamber, having no better destination in mind.

"I don't know." I said miserably.

We arrived at the entrance and went dejectedly inside, heaving many a sigh while we (that is, Kate and I) flopped into a couple of chairs. Roximor crouched lightly in the corner, muttering poetry to himself and scratching behind his ears. Nova folded his wings and leaned against the wall, going over Roximor's mysterious clue and trying to make sense of it. Kate and I sat in silence for a long time, avoiding each other's eyes as we tried to take our minds off the problem before us.

Nova half-heartedly suggested a game of 'Voldemort Eats Cats for Breakfast', and Roximor whole-heartedly suggested that Nova shut up. Nova glared back at Roximor, but shut up. Eventually I got up and began pacing, examining the specifics of our situation in my head in the hope that a solution might present itself. Kate leaned back in her chair and looked up at the ceiling, apparently lost in thought.

Finally, I grew tired of the lack of conversation, and spoke up. "Look, I know this seems hopeless," I began, "but I have an idea: how about we—" I broke off as the sound of approaching footsteps floated into the room, growing louder by the second until who should enter, but... "Ahryall!" I shmarkled.

For indeed it _was_ Ahryall who had come in. She sat down with us, presumably with the intention of holding a discussion of some sort. She hadn't quite recovered from her shock—that much was certain, but she was considerably more composed than I'd thought she'd have been. As we talked, I became more and more aware of one thing: Ahryall was no wimpy maiden.

I was itching to ask about the possibility of the Riachas joining us in battle, but first I decided to clear up a couple of other things. "I understand that the thing you call your Orb of Foresight was stolen." I said thoughtfully. "Have you any idea who the thief was?"

"No, none." replied Ahryall. "Why do you ask this of me?"

"Well, it's nothing really, only something of the same sort happened to the Subterra Hirakchi Bakugan, and it just sort of struck me as being a bit of a coincidence—and of course, my people don't believe in coincidence." I said. "But then, there are other, more pressing issues to think about. For example, have Bakugan been disappearing from Haos Space lately?"

Ahryall thought a moment before replying. "Not very recently," she began, "but there _have _been significant drops in the Haos Space population over the years, now you mention it...only it happened so gradually we never really thought much of it."

"Surely you must have noticed when whole clans disappeared?" Kate said incredulously.

"The clans of Haos Space keep to themselves, mostly." said Ahryall with a shrug. "Even at the best of times, interaction between clans was rare."

"That doesn't strike me as being very bright." Nova muttered. I shot him a warning glance, then spoke up again.

"Bakugan were disappearing from Subterra Space too—we should probably look into that at some stage." said I. "However, as you know already, there is one last thing I would ask you, and this is without a doubt the most important question I have: the reason we came to Haos Space in the first place." I then proceeded to remind Ahryall of our predicament back home in Starsector, and asked her if she and the Riachas would assist us. She fell quiet at that and looked down at her hands, which were resting in her lap.

"Looking back, I suppose I always knew it would come to this eventually." she murmured, still not looking up.

"I beg your pardon?" I said curiously.

Ahryall stirred, as though waking from a dream, then looked at me. Our eyes met in such a way that I was reminded again of how much she resembled Lars Lion, notwithstanding the zombie-like appearance, of course. "The Bakugan of my bloodline have always known that one of us would face this situation at some point." Ahryall said quietly. "As Lars Lion, my noble ancestor, fought bravely for her fellow Bakugan, so have we who share her blood promised to do, and since I am her last descendant, it seems I am destined to fight in this battle, from which I will not shrink."

"So..." I trailed off expectantly, my hopes rising.

"So my answer is yes, Brawler. I will join your side in this war, for the sake of the enslaved Bakugan. As my name means 'beacon', so will I be a beacon for the Riachas, and as my name means 'sun', so will I and my fellows wield the glory of the sun's rays as we fight alongside you and yours." Ahryall finished, before adding piously, "May Eve protect us, our weak-kneed carrots and our turtle-shelled chickens also."

I considered asking what this peculiar expression meant, but thought the better of it just as Nova queried, "Whatever does that peculiar expression mean? In all my years I've never head such a phrase."

Ahryall's eyelid flickered slightly. "Trust me," she said darkly, "you don't ever want to know."

Nova gulped.

* * *

Once we'd made the agreement with Ahryall, the rest was simple. As before, we set up a portal and showed the Riachas through. After they'd gone, and Kate had taken a moment to sketch a few diagrams and scrawl a sentence or two in her notebook, we assembled our own portal. Trusting Fate to get us there safely, we entered as one and took off for the next Attribute world.

"Where d'you think we'll end up next?" I called over to Kate as we soared slowly through a dazzling hallway—well, it seemed slow at any rate, though for all we knew, we might have been rushing along like cars on a race track.

"No idea," Kate replied lazily, "but I don't care, so long as we get there alive...and it's somewhere we haven't been yet...and it's inhabited—"

"_And_ it's got a range of five-star hotels along a never-ending stretching of white, sandy beaches and crystal-clear water..." I interjected cheekily, at which she looked as though she couldn't decide whether to grin or to rebuke me for not being serious enough. Nova and Rox took care of both of those options, however, so she merely shrugged and said, "Get ready, I think I can see the end of the portal."

"Oh, how _spiffing._" I murmured. "I suppose I'll get smashed into the surface again, then, and we all know how much fun _that _is."

To cut a long story short, we exited the portal.

I smashed into the surface again.

* * *

"Well, this place is..._interesting._" Kate (who had, of course, landed perfectly) said lightly, surveying the moonlit mass of dark mountains and thick, murky swamps ahead, while I brushed myself off, muttering darkly.

"You could say that again." commented Nova, while I brushed myself off a second time, muttering a bit more audibly.

"Definitely an odd sort of area." mused Roximor, while I brushed myself off a third time, muttering very loudly, almost to the point of yelling.

"Did you say something, Phyra?" called Kate, not taking her eyes off the landscape.

"Me? Oh no, just savouring my discomfort by talking to myself like the fruitcake I am." I started to reply pointedly, before realising she couldn't hear me, then continued anyway because it sounded vaguely gratifying.

"Phyra, you do realise you're _always _talking to yourself?" said Kate conversationally.

"First sign of madness," Roximor whispered to Nova, who sniggered.

"I don't—" I began to reply in an injured tone, but was cut off.

"Yes you do!" said Kate, who was smiling broadly now. "You were always doing it back at the BBS. What was that question people used to ask you all the time? I'm sure I remember it..."

"_Been talking to yourself again?_, if I recall correctly." I chuckled wryly. "It was one of Jack's favourites."

"I wonder how Jack and Mikael are doing these days..." Kate said distantly, looking up at the dark, star-filled sky above us.

"Probably fine," I said, speculating privately on whether or not Mikael and Nicholas had ever straightened things out between them.

"Remember that cadet, what's-his-face, Kyros? He was a nasty piece of work. Probably still up to no good these days..."

"Kate, you sound like an old woman," I scoffed. "It's only been three years since we last saw him, you know."

"You mind who you call an old woman, mister," Kate retorted. "And three years is an eternity when you're young."

"Young? You?" I cried in mock-horror. "You're twenty, aren't you? You call that _young?_"

"Certainly I do," said she, primly, "and don't you know it's rude to tease a lady about her age?"

"Pull the other one, sweetheart." I said scathingly. "You're no more a lady than my non-existent underpants are."

Kate gave me a very strange look, and said cautiously, "Phyra, please tell me you're—"

"Of _course _I'm wearing underpants, woman," I laughed. "I just said that to see how you'd react."

"Right... So, where were we again?"

"I just said you weren't a lady."

"Oh. Yep, totally knew that—and _you're_ no man, either. You're only a short step away from being that immature little boy I used to know."

"Children, children, there's no need for this affray." said Roximor with the lenient air of the wise old grandfather.

"Can't you keep out of this!?" we both screeched at him.

"Just _why_ are you having this discussion anyway?" chimed in Nova.

"Ummm...cos we want to?" Kate supplied helpfully.

"Comic relief is hard to come by in the army." I added.

"Well if _that's_ all there is to life, why'd you join then?" snorted Nova.

"Because—"

"Oh, never mind!" Rox yelled hastily. "Where do you suppose we are, anyway?"

"Well," I said, taking a look around, "considering the kind of area we're in, I'd say there's only one answer to that question."

"Oh?"

"Darkus Space, of course!" I said, flinging my arms out grandly.

"Quite right, young mistletoe, and welcome." came a strange-sounding voice from behind us.


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Phantomfire

**Chapter Fourteen – Phantomfire**

"And who the hell might you be?" I inquired as I turned around, trying and failing (not surprisingly) to sound polite.

I saw in front of me a man who, strangely enough, seemed to be from _Starsector_. He was short, in his late middle ages, and not _fat_, exactly, but broad, with thick, muscular arms which contrasted sharply with his spindly legs and tiny feet. He had a curling goatee and a wild tangle of hair that looked as though it might have been red at one stage, but was now more of a dull orangey colour. He was dressed in an odd, robe-like garment of a deep red hue, and there was a strange air about him, as though he knew many things, and he knew that he knew many things, but he just wasn't quite sure what those things actually _were_.

"Well, my name's...er...er..." said the man, frowning thoughtfully.

"Kensington?" I guessed randomly.

"Oh, yes! That's it." said the man with a befuddled smile.

"And a very nice name it is too—but how exactly did you get here?" asked Kate, as I punched the air to express my sudden, inexplicable happiness at correctly guessing the name of a complete and total stranger.

"Get here?" repeated Kensington. "And where might here be?"

"Well, Darkus Space!" I said impatiently.

"Oh, that—well I came here through a portal from Ventus Space...many years ago, now..." said Kensington wistfully.

"And how did you get to Ventus Space?" Kate pressed, poking me in the ribs as I emitted a peeved noise.

"Well, I flew, of course!" he said irritably. "Good _lord_, woman! How else are you supposed to get here, anyway?"

I gave Kate a look which said _he's obviously balmy—just leave it_, and we decided mutely to abandon the attempted interrogation. However, we _did_ invite Kensington to come with us, and he graciously accepted. If nothing else, we could at least get him back to Starsector when our Darkus Space expedition was over.

* * *

"Lovely place, this, eh what?" Kensington burbled happily as we waded through a dark, murky marsh.

"Um." said Roximor, who, along with Nova, was hovering above the ground so he wouldn't get his paws muddy.

"I mean, just look at all the pretty mud!" Kensington went on. "And the pretty water, and the pretty dead trees, and the pretty skeletons, and the pretty shadows, and the pretty sludge, and—"

"Yes, very pretty, isn't it?" I said sarcastically, pushing my way through a stubborn patch of reeds. "Ugh! Now my uniform's all dirty!"

"Calm your farm, Phyra." laughed Kate. "If anyone should be moaning about their clothes, it ought to be me, what with being the only girl here and all."

"Point taken." I said, right before tripping over a submerged tree branch and falling headlong into the marsh. "Now my hair is dirty too!" I wailed. "I'll _never_ be able to get all my spikes back in their right places!"

"Serves you right for doing your hair in spikes in the first place," Nova growled. "Now belt up, you melodramatic pessimist."

"What's up _your_ nose, Nova?" grinned Roximor.

"_Nothing's _up my nose." Nova muttered. "I'm just a bit tense, that's all."

"Why?" I asked.

"Well, this _is _Darkus Space!" Nova burst out, causing the rest of us and several nearby pigeons to jump violently. "This is the place where the Hydranoid War originated!"

"Hey, where did all those pigeons come from?" Kate immediately questioned, changing the subject drastically.

"Those? Oh, they're mine." said Kensington, beckoning the pigeons over. "Alfred! Spot! Dixie! Sausage! Pumpkin! PASCHAL! HAUL YER MISERABLE FEATHERED HIDES OVER HERE RIGHT _NOW!_" The pigeons complied, flying over and sitting themselves on his head. "Righto, chaps," he beamed, "now we're all here, shall we press on?"

"You peasants go ahead." I murmured to Kate, ignoring Kensington and his pigeons. "I'll have a word with Nova."

"Fine, but just don't fall too far behind, alright?" she replied, flitting ahead to where Rox was skimming over the marshes. Kensington and the pigeons followed, of course, and soon Nova and I were left hovering and standing respectively, completely motionless. Neither of us said anything at first, but when the others were well out of earshot, I eventually spoke up.

"...I, uh, take it you've got something on your mind." I said awkwardly.

Nova looked flatly at me, and I saw reproach in his eyes. "You know well enough how I feel about the past." he said, and while there was no particular inflection to his words, I could sense that he was hurt.

"I'm sorry, Nova. I understand—really, I do." I said earnestly, putting my hand on his tail (which happened to be the only part of him I could reach). "So, being here is reminding you of everything?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry." I repeated, unable to think of anything else to say.

"Don't be." he said flatly. "What's done is done, and I've learned to accept it."

"Are you going to be alright?" I questioned. "You don't have to come with us to look for the Darkus Bakugan if you don't want to. You can go back to Haos Space if you like."

"And leave you here by yourself? What kind of a guardian would I be?" he cried, appalled by my suggestion.

"I'll be fine, and Kate and Rox will be with me." I said, with a fair imitation of indifference.

"No, I'll come—and don't worry about me." he said firmly, landing on the ground and folding his wings. "In a minute or so, I'll be back to normal, you'll see."

"Alright then, let's catch up with the others!" I cried jubilantly, for inside, I knew I wouldn't have been comfortable leaving Nova any more than he'd have been comfortable leaving me.

"Hop on, then, and I'll fly us there." said Nova, sounding more like his old self already, as he crouched over so I could climb up behind his head.

"That's the way, old sunshine!" I whooped, clinging on as he took off into the night. "Onwards and downwards through the bleary dawn!"

"Moron." Nova muttered.

* * *

After catching up with the others, we eventually came upon a large group of towering obsidian structures, bedecked with many spiralling towers and surrounded by a low wall, made of onyx. It looked at though we'd found the dwelling place of the Darkus Bakugan, at last. Now to see if anyone was home...

Twin statues flanked the arched entrance. According to Nova, they depicted Dharaknoid: the Dragon of Darkness, forerunner to the Bakugan of Darkus Space. He looked fierce: a huge dragon, standing on powerful hind legs, quadruple winged, with a large, curving tail. He had nasty pointed talons, two massive, spiked horns on his head, and shoulder guards in the shape of dragon heads with razor-sharp teeth. Looking at the statues, I was almost glad he wasn't around any longer.

We walked through the archway and found ourselves the unintentional spectators of a riot. A large crowd of Bakugan had apparently gathered in some kind of square, and were shouting at a smaller group of Bakugan who were perched precariously atop a too-small stone platform in the middle of this square.

"What's going on?" I wondered aloud..._very_ loud, in fact, as there was so much noise I could barely hear myself _think_,let alone speak.

"It looks like a bunch of Bakugan are shouting at another bunch of Bakugan." said Nova unhelpfully.

"Oh, _cheesecake_, Nova! That doesn't help us!" I yelled, venting my exasperation by borrowing one of Captain Hackett's pet ejaculations.

"Well, what do you suggest?" Nova began to say, when Kate interrupted.

"Hey, Phyra—do you think those Bakugan on that platform are..." She trailed off.

"What?" I said, craning my neck in order to get a better look at them... Then with a shock, I recognised them from the stories: Hydranoids. It was the first time I'd ever seen a Hydranoid in the flesh. Four large, black, reptilian beasts, crouched on all fours, with long snaking bodies, wicked spikes running down their backs, and many rows of cruel, dripping red teeth were squatting on the platform. A thrill went up and down my spine to such an extent that I wondered whether one of the pigeons had made their way down my shirt.

The Hydranoids were roaring what seemed to be some kind of speech in a weird, rasping dialect, amid yells and screams of abuse from the raging crowd in front of them. It reminded me of the ancient stories I'd heard of evil, twisted beings from the farthest reaches of the ancient Shadowsector dimension, known as _politicians_.

"Shall we get a bit closer, eh, old boy?" smiled Kensington, nudging Roximor, who started and shuffled away in supreme disgust.

"Merp." cooed Dixie, one of the more outspoken pigeons.

"Did that pigeon just say _merp_?" queried Nova.

"Umm...yes?" I said, rolling my eyes. "Why the hoo-hah?"

"Well, that's rather extraordinary, isn't it? I mean, it's not every day you see a pigeon going _merp_, is it?"

"But it's not even a word!" I protested.

"IT'S STILL EXTRAORDINARY!"

"NO IT ISN'T!"

"YES IT IS!"

"NO IT ISN'T!"

"YES IT—wait, why are we even talking about this anyway?"

"You started it." I muttered, looking over at the yelling Hydranoids again.

"Did not." said Nova petulantly.

"Now, don't start that again." I said warningly.

"I already _told_ you—_you_ started it, idiot!"

"Oh, put a sock in it, you two." Kate interjected sharply.

"Can't you see we're having a private discussion, here?!" Nova and I shouted simultaneously.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Look, don't stand on your respective dignities." she said. "Let's kindly all grow up about a decade or so and get on with this mission, shall we? I wouldn't want to have to report your misbehaviour to the general when we get back. I'd be awfully lonely if you got demoted, you know, Phyra."

I was rather tempted to make a smart remark, but I decided not to push my luck, and instead announced that I was going to get a closer look. The others promptly offered to come with me, and since I couldn't think of any reason to say no, I agreed. So, once I'd smoothed my amazing hair back into place (to general annoyance, which I ignored), we walked boldly over to the foot of the platform, where we could hear what the Hydranoids were saying.

"THE STATE OF THINGS IN DARKUS SPACE IS **DEPLORABLE**!" roared one of the Hydranoids, swishing his tail wildly to the irritation of his comrades, who just narrowly avoided being swept off the platform.

"SSSOMETHING MUSSST BE DONE!" hissed another, regaining his balance.

"WAR IS THE ONLY ANSWER! WE MUST FIGHT FOR THE SURVIVAL OF OUR NATION!" screeched a third, jumping up and down with a _BOOM-BOOM-BUMPETTY-BUMP-CRASH- CRACK-BANG-KABOOM-WALLOP_ noise which was actually quieter than you'd imagine.

"I PROPOTHE THAT WE ATTACK THEETHE BLIGHTERTH AT OUR SOONETHET POTHIBLE CONVENI-YARRRRRGHH!" lisped the fourth, who, being slightly smaller than the others, was knocked off the platform by the first Hydranoid's tail before he could finish.

"You Hydranoids will be the death of our nation yet with your petty violence!" cried a Darkus Fear Ripper in retaliation, from where he stood in the front row.

"Yes, you lot should know by now that war isn't the answer to everything!" a Darkus Stinglash chimed in, brandishing his poisonous tail and nearly killing a couple of Kensington's pigeons in the process.

"MERP!" squawked Dixie, flapping her wings in agitation. Suddenly, as if by magic, everyone stopped shouting and stared at us. All was deathly quiet for several heart-stopping moments...then all hell broke loose.

"DID THAT PIGEON JUST SAY _MERP_?!"

"HOW EXTRAORDINARY!"

"IT'S NOT EXTRARDINARY!"

"YES IT IS!"

"NO IT ISN'T!"

"YES IT IS! HOW MANY PIGEONS HAVE **YOU** SEEN THAT GO _MERP_?!"

"BUT IT'S NOT EVEN A WORD!"

"WHAT'S A PIGEON, ANYWAY?!"

"IS THAT A PYRUS BAKUGAN?!"

"WHO ARE THOSE STRANGE BEINGS? HOW DID THEY GET HERE?!"

"AND WHAT'S A VENTUS DOING IN DARKUS SPACE?!"

"I TELL YOU, IT **IS** EXTRAORDINARY!"

"AND **I **TELL YOU IT ISN'T!"

"**WILL SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT A FLAMING PIGEON IS?!**"

Every Bakugan was shouting all at once, and none of us could get a word in edgeways. It seemed as though the noise would never stop, when... "Silence."

It was just one word, spoken in tones barely above a whisper, but it cut through the hubbub with a resonant hum, as the chiming of an old church bell cuts through the murmur of a busy crowd. As it did so, silence spread through the Bakugan like a ripple as one by one, each Bakugan heard the voice, fell quiet, and turned to face the speaker. I and my friends did likewise, and what met our sight was one of the most bizarre things we'd laid eyes on in Vestroia yet.

A black, scaly body—like that of the Hydranoids, but longer and more flexible. Eight dragon heads, each growing on snaking necks that arched out from its torso. Said torso had a single eye on it, and a jaw line, with cruel, pointy teeth. Two, small, bat-like wings. Two tiny, tyrannosaurus-like arms, with three clawed fingers. Altogether, he looked like a black, eight-headed hydra that had started to mutate into a dragon.

With his eight heads, he surveyed the scene. Three pairs of eyes fixed on the crowd, and the Hydranoids. The remaining five looked at our group—one head for each member. I felt one of those pairs of red, glowing eyes boring into my own until I could stand it no longer, and looked away. I could sense Kate and Kensington do the same next to me.

The hydra-Bakugan reared up until he was almost as tall as one of the spiralling towers around us. Still staring us down, he spoke again in a deep, quiet voice that reminded me unpleasantly of Siege. "Come."

I glanced at Kate and the others, and saw that they felt the same way I did: the Bakugan was addressing us, and it didn't look like we had any choice but to obey. We followed the Bakugan as he slithered over to the largest of the obsidian buildings, which looked something like an ancient palace. We walked slowly in his wake, and we felt the stares of the still-silent crowd upon us, and wondered what was going to happen.

* * *

After walking through what felt like twenty sets of impressively carved double-doors, we found ourselves in a large, spacious area. It was something like the king's courtroom back in Starsector, with an ornate throne to boot (though I suppose it _was_ shaped like Dharaknoid, whereas the king's was shaped merely like a...chair). On this, the hydra-Bakugan sort of sat...well, it coiled itself around the base, anyway.

Around the walls were carvings of various well-known Darkus Bakugan: Dharaknoid, of course, Betadron, Mutabrid, Kodokor and Fury—members of an evil group of nine Bakugan called the Nonets, whom Genesis Dragonoid had sent to the Doom Dimension centuries ago for various misdemeanours. There was one of a white kitten I didn't recognise, even one of Darcell, and finally, Exedra, the Legendary Darkus soldier.

_Hang on,_ I thought suddenly. _Exedra looks a lot like this hydra-Bakugan—minus the wings and arms, of course...so, does that mean...?_

As if reading my mind, the Darkus Bakugan addressed us again. "I am known as the Tyrannus Exydros," he announced. "However, you may call me Heriale. As you have no doubt guessed, and as the meaning of my type name implies, I am descended from Exedra, Legendary Soldier of Darkus. In his name, I serve my brothers and sisters, the Bakugan of Darkus Space. Now, perhaps you'd care to tell me who you are."

As I'd been unofficially appointed the group spokesman by this time, I stepped forward and introduced myself, my friends and Kensington, who grinned and danced a jig for whatever private reasons he might have had.

"And, you, Nova—you are a Pyrus Bakugan." Heriale cocked one of his heads, making the comment a question.

"Yes, I am the last of the Pyrus Bakugan." said Nova wearily, and he told Heriale what he had already told Tristos, back in Subterra Space.

Heriale nodded to himself with three of his heads, then asked abruptly, "What business does your group have in my realm?" I related to Heriale our predicament in Starsector, and asked if there was anything he and the rest of the Darkus Bakugan could do to help (I didn't mention Kensington, however, since we still had no idea what the story was with him). "Well," said Heriale quietly, "I suppose we might...if only we weren't in such a sorry state here."

"That reminds me—why is this place in such chaos?" I asked curiously. "There was quite a brouhaha going on out there."

"Ah, yes..." sighed Heriale. "You see, one day, a group of strange, hostile beings, in numbers enough to pass for a small army, invaded Darkus Space by way of a dimension rift and attacked us. Taken by surprise, and having already lost many of our numbers to the rift, we were forced to give up much of our territory as one by one, six of our cities were destroyed and overrun by the unknown enemy. Dex Morthor, Dharaknoid's own city, and incidentally the place we are conversing in now, is the only one left standing.

"Normally we would use our strength and cunning to fight back, but this enemy is a strange one, for no matter what we do, we cannot figure out how to harm them. Our attacks simply pass through their forms. Naturally, these are times of unsettlement, but even that doesn't quite explain what you saw today—it's quite simple, really. The Hydranoids believe that going to war against these beings rather than cowering behind our city walls is the answer to our problem. The majority of us disagree, however, seeing how useless our attacks have been so far, hence all the noise."

"Can't you keep the Hydranoids in line?" Nova asked sceptically. "After all, _you_ seem to be in charge around here."

"I am head of the _Sylathix _clan," corrected Heriale, as though he'd been expecting the question. "And as such, I carry the Sword of Dharaknoid." He gestured to the ornamental blade hanging from the wall next to the throne. "However, the Hydranoids and their few supporters—the Reapers and the Lasermen—are the remnants of the Netheros clan, and while this is so, I have limited influence over them, if any. I don't know how the Darkus Bakugan are going survive this situation—it's going to take a miracle at this rate."

"Can you describe these enemies?" I questioned.

Heriale thought for a minute, then began to speak—hesitantly at first, then with more speed as he warmed to his theme. "They were tall, thin—and a pale cyan colour, except they were partly transparent, so you could see through them to the scenery behind. They didn't seem to have any visible organs and their eyes were large, green—glowing, like those of a Bakugan, but fiery, and without pupils. They had mouths that were like jagged holes, no arms or legs to speak of, and they attacked by spewing up blue fire that envelopes the victim and slowly paralyses it, before eating through its skin and flesh, like acid, leaving behind only a skeleton. Why do you ask, though?"

"Well," I said slowly. "It's just that they sound an awful lot like either the Chandrian or plasma phantoms to me. I suppose there's no chance of them being the Chandrian, though, so they're bound to be phantoms. If that's true..." I gave my most charming-but-annoying smile yet. "...then I think you've found your miracle." I finished triumphantly.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Kate, Nova, Roximor and I (having left Kensington back at Dex Morthor) were headed south, travelling as fast as we could. Our destination? The ruined city of Zar'mhetres. Our objective? To wipe out the plasma phantoms.

You see, a plasma phantom is the result of a burst of concentrated negative energy reacting with the plasma in a living being's blood. That is, if the blood of a live Staryan, Sektarus, Bakugan or animal comes into contact with a lot of negative energy, there can be a mutation of the molecules which produces a deadly vapour that can, if left to its own devices, evolve into a sentient being. This being is a plasma phantom, which, while ghostlike in appearance, is still able to be destroyed with a bit of know-how.

Now, this mutation is quite a rare occurrence, but that's just an original, or Type A phantom. Once created, however, the phantom can then spawn a large amount of Type B phantoms. These are less powerful than Type As, but are still deadly, and much more common. To kill, or as the professional term goes, nullify a plasma phantom, a powerful burst of positive energy is required, and here we come to the problem the Sylathix and Netheros had encountered.

While the Silent and Infinity Cores are the ultimate sources of pure negative and positive energy respectively, it has been discovered that all Bakugan are sources of impure, or less powerful negative or positive energy themselves, which they give off when they attack.

Now, Darkus, Subterra and Ventus Bakugan, sometimes referred to as the Dark Element Bakugan, are sources of negative energy. On the opposite side of the coin, Pyrus, Haos and Aquos Bakugan, or the Light (or Fire) Element Bakugan, are sources of positiveenergy. The problem, then, was really quite plain. The Bakugan of Darkus Space were incapable of dealing with the phantoms, as they lacked positive energy. So, for that matter, did Roximor.

On the other hand, Nova, being a Pyrus, was just what we needed: the means to nullify these phantoms and perhaps secure not only the safety of the Darkus Bakugan, but also some valuable allies to fight with us in our war back on Starsector. In addition to Nova, of course, we also had the blasters on our BakuPods. These were capable of firing positive, negative, or even neutral energy, depending on what you loaded them with.

So here we were, and it looked as though our time in Darkus Space was about to get a whole lot more interesting.

* * *

After an hour or so of flying, it became too dark for us to see where we were going, so we decided to land and set up camp until "morning" (in Darkus Space, "dawn" was actually twilight, which got gradually darker until "noon", which was when the moon and all the stars shone at their brightest, then they got gradually dimmer, until "midnight", which was the sky being pitch black, with thick clouds covering everything, and then we come to twilight again).

"So...your turn to cook." I said to Kate, with just a hint of smugness.

"Yeah, I'm just the lowly housewife who can't put up a decent fight in the upcoming battle, since my guardian happens to be a Dark Element Bakugan." she grumbled good-naturedly, whisking a frying pan out from some mysterious place on her person and retreating into our tent.

"Ha, you should've brought Ninjitsu Monarus with you." I smirked. "Lucky me. Nova can use Darkus as well as Pyrus—he's light and darkness rolled into one!"

"Well, your _Knife_ can't read the messages of the Rune, though, can he?" retorted Rox, who was feeling slightly miffed.

"Ignore them, Roximor." said Nova. "It's a well-known fact that Staryans have nowhere near the amount of wisdom we Bakugan possess."

"We can hear that!" I yelled, pretending to be mortally wounded by this comment.

"Indubitably, moron. You're right next to me, aren't you?"

"Point taken—oi! Hurry up with dinner, will you?" I addressed that last part to the tent entrance.

"If you want to die of food poisoning, be my guest and come eat right now." came the cheery voice from inside.

"How do I know you won't give me food poisoning anyway?" I chuckled, sitting down on a log, before leaping back into the air with a howl of, "Aww...now I've got mud on my trousers!"

Kate poked her head out of the tent. "Hmm...I'd say you actually look more attractive now." she teased.

I made a fist. "If you weren't cooking my dinner, I'd get you for that." I said, feigning a threatening expression.

"On a more serious note," interrupted Nova, who had folded his wings and settled himself on a nearby boulder. "I had a closer look at that Sword of Dharaknoid before we left, and I noticed it had some funny inscriptions down one side of the blade."

"Don't all mystical artefacts?" I yawned.

Nova gave me a flat look. "I said we were being serious." he said severely.

"Oh, sorry—do go on, old chap."

Nova rolled his eyes and continued. "Well, this inscription said, in what I believe is a form of the older Sylathic script, _'Tes destros nithil borror, nith sigitus oros'_. I'm not familiar with the whole thing, but from what I can piece together, it's saying something about a dark blade. Rox, can the Rune translate it for us?"

"I imagine it could," said Roximor, who then closed his eyes and stood dead still for a minute, before opening them again and saying, "I think it's _'the dark powers of the night blade'_. Why are you so interested, Nova?"

"I'm not sure," confessed Nova. "It might just be a figment of my imagination...it's just—doesn't it seem strange that both the Hirakchiand the Riachashave had some item stolen from them? Perhaps this whole thing is worth looking into—after all, things don't just disappear, and you Staryans don't believe in coincidence, do you?"

"Nova, I'm sure we can check this out eventually," I said gently, "but right now, we've got a battle to fight. We should focus on what's directly ahead for the moment, and worry about the other stuff and assorted marshmallow salads later. Do you agree?"

"I suppose." said Nova reluctantly, declining to comment on marshmallow salads.

Just then, Kate came out of the tent, bringing with her a delicious aroma of pastry, sugar, and—what was that other thing? "Dinner's ready!" she chirped, holding out a tray, which contained...

"What exactly _is _that?" I asked dubiously.

"Well, when you used that weird expression of Hackett's earlier, you gave me an idea, so I've prepared a cheesecake for us!" she grinned.

"Cheesecake for _dinner?_" I gushed. "It's a dream come _true! _Oh, _Kate! _...So can you do all the cooking from now on?" I finished on a hopeful note.

"No way, mate," she laughed, playfully cuffing me over the head.

"Fine, I suppose I'll just have to learn a few recipes myself." I sighed, resigned. Then a thought struck me, and I added, "But how did you make this, anyway?"

"You'd be surprised at the kind of ingredients you can find in those broccoli-and-mint pasties." said Kate with an evil smile, pouring a bright orange sauce over a slice and handing it to me on a plate.

"Ooh! Butterscotch sauce!" I cried happily, tossing my spoon away and preparing to tuck in with mildly barbaric ecstasy.

"Umm...no, Phyra—it's goldfish sauce, not butterscotch." said Kate, just as I crammed the entire slice into my mouth (not without some difficulty, of course).

"GOLF-FIFF?!" I spluttered through a mouthful of cheesecake. _So _that's _what that other smell was..._

"Yep—we were kinda low on choice of ingredients, even with what I siphoned from the pasties, but don't worry, it tastes fine." assured Kate, spooning up her own portion with genteel grace (compared to me, anyway).

I closed my eyes and swallowed... "Wow...this is fantastic!" I yelled, grabbing another slice. "I din't know you c'd eat gol'fiff tho." I said indistinctly though another, more moderate mouthful.

Kate turned to me and gave the most wicked grin I'd ever seen her show before—and I'd seen quite a lot, too, I can tell you. "You can't." she said.

"WHA—!?" I choked, and promptly spat out the half-serving I'd been engaged upon. "Are you trying to _kill_ me?" I wheezed faintly.

"No—and that wasn't goldfish by the way. It was butterscotch."

"Wh—" I stuttered.

"I was just ragging you." she said, with a titter that was quite out of character. "Buy yourself a sense of humour off eBay or something." As she re-entered the tent, I stared at the mess of half-masticated cheesecake on the ground in front of me.

It was several minutes before I said anything, but eventually my power of speech returned, and I murmured the first thing that came into my head. "Well—I didn't _really _believe that goldfish could taste so much like butterscotch, anyway..."

"You're talking to yourself again, bro." commented Nova.

* * *

"Morning" dawned, and we were up early, ready to finish our flight to Zar'mhetres. According to Heriale, the army of plasma phantoms were gathered there, possibly grouping together for an attack on Dex Morthor even as we travelled—therefore, time was of the essence.

As we were getting ready, I decided to do some more testing with my BakuPod V2. Loading a blaster activator chip (which looked something like an intricately decorated Ability card) into the slot on the BakuPod, I pressed a few buttons and a cylindrical blaster emerged on the top of the BakuPod, just above my wrist.

I then picked out an ammunition clip (also card-shaped—because our scientists, like many, lack imagination) that would cause the gun to shoot negative energy, since we'd need the other types for the battle ahead. I loaded it in, and began to blast energy bolts at a row of nearby boulders.

"Take that, fiendish rocks!" I yelled enthusiastically, striking a pose and firing the gun over my shoulder. "AAWWW YEAAAH!" This went on for a few minutes before my fun was interrupted by Kate, who saw what I was doing and shouted, "Pull your finger out, slacker! We're about to go into battle!"

"Right, I _definitely_ knew that!" I bellowed in reply. She went back to packing up the tent, while I surreptitiously stuck my tongue out at her before shooting another boulder. Then I put the gun away and helped tidy up the rest of the camp. Next, Kate and I climbed onto our "steeds", who were rather unimpressed at being spoken of in such a way, then the four of us took off. It was time to get moving, and we had phantoms to nullify.

* * *

"I can see the city!" Kate cried out suddenly, after we'd been in the air awhile. "It's straight ahead!"

"How long do you think it'll take us to reach it?" I replied.

"I reckon we'll arrive there by 'noon'."

"Well, that's better than 'midnight', is it not?"

"Absolutely." she laughed.

Sure enough, all the stars were out by the time we'd landed on the outskirts of Zar'mhetres. They filled the dark skies with their glory as the moon shone its brightest, illuminating our way with its cold, white light.

"Shall we lock and load?" I suggested, making a gesture with my BakuPod.

"What is it with boys and guns?" replied Kate, fixing me with an austere expression.

"Well, we _are _in the army, woman." I reminded her.

"Fair enough." She smiled suddenly. "Let's do this, then." We each took a positive ion clip and loaded our blasters. "No signs of the buggers anywhere," she noted, looking at the apparently deserted ruin. "Are you sure this is the place?"

"Of course I'm sure," I said firmly. "Let's just go, alright?"

"Alright, Rox and I will take this side," she proposed, "while you and Nova take that one."

"Sure thing." I replied, motioning for Nova to follow me as I veered left, looking cautiously around while I walked slowly through the left gate of the city. Once inside, Nova and I found ourselves in a crumbling maze of sorts. Barring the way through, however, were a bunch of odd plants that seemed to have grown all over the place like ivy in the absence of the city's inhabitants. "Hey Nova," I grinned, "do you want to see something awesome?"

"You're still not taking this seriously, are you?" he asked, in a bored tone.

"'Course I am," I said, affronted. "Just answer the question."

"So long as it doesn't get either of us killed or seriously injured, then yes, whatever." he answered, shrugging.

"Are you saying you don't trust me?" I demanded as I loaded a special card into the slot. Nova declined to answer, while a bright blue laser blade projected out of the front of my BakuPod. It was located right under the gun, and ran over my fist from the BakuPod's obverse side, then straight ahead for about two feet. I then shouted a random martial-art-sounding battle cry while I slashed the ivy in front of us to bits. "Impressive, no?" I said smugly, retracting the blade and surveying the pile of sliced, charred plants in front of me with the calm satisfaction of the artist who knows he has done well.

"You know something? You're an utter twerp." said Nova after a moment. "Why, I wager that one day you'll relate this tale to someone, and when you get to this bit you'll embroider the telling with stupid comparisons to artists and the like, won't you?"

"Nice idea." I approved with a winning smile. "Now let's g—what on Starsector is _that!?_"

"_SHHHHHH!"_ Nova hissed emphatically.

"But—but—" I pointed. "Look!" Several paces away from us, through one of the winding corridors, was a funny yellow glow. "Let's go and see what that is." I said, hurrying through the maze of paths to the luminescence, intending to find out what its source was. When I reached it, I found it was a line of golden orbs that were suspended, completely motionless in the air, leading through the maze in many different directions. "What do you suppose—" I began to ask Nova, then stopped and stared ahead of me—for coming down the passageway was a group of plasma phantoms, their blue-green bodies hovering along the ground menacingly. "There's something awfully familiar about this scenario." I murmured, glancing around at the orbs, the maze, the phantoms...

"Never mind that," cried Nova in alarm. "Shoot, Phyra! SHOOT!"

"Will do!" I yelled, launching a volley of glowing missiles over at the phantoms while Nova reared up and blasted fire at them. One by one, they vanished with faint _pfft _noises, never again to taint Vestroia with their foul presence—and yes, it was an occasion that did indeed merit poetry. "They went down rather quick." I commented, when we'd nullified everything in sight. "They must have been Type Bs."

"Let's hope there aren't too many Type As." said Nova ominously.

"Yeah—hey, those funny orbs are still here, though." I said, going up to touch one. To my surprise, my hand passed right through it. "It's some kind of projection." I told Nova, puzzled.

"Best to leave it alone," Nova muttered shortly, flying ahead and peering this way and that, looking for enemy signs. "Let's just hurry up and find the rest of these phantoms so we can nullify them and then get the hell out of here." I spared the orbs one last glance, then hurried after him.

After walking around in—actually, no geometrical shape could accurately describe how we walked, so I'll say _shapes of an erratic nature_. Anyway, after walking around in shapes of an erratic nature for what felt like ages, casually dispatching the occasional mob of phantoms here and there, we bumped into Kate and Roximor again. "G'day mates, how's life?" I asked.

"I'm fine," Kate told me, seeming worried, "but a pack of phantoms ambushed us a while ago, and Rox copped a bit of that damn fire of theirs on his left hind leg."

"She's apples, don't fret." grunted Roximor, though I could see he was being careful to keep his weight off the injured limb.

"Can you move okay?" I asked, examining the burn. It looked pretty bad.

"Yes." Rox affirmed.

"Alright," I said seriously, "but let us know if you feel any sudden stiffness or anything, because remember, paralysis precedes the acidic effects, and we don't want your leg getting eaten off."

"No worries," Rox said with a grimace, "I'll yell like the pink pansies are after me if I become aware of such sensations."

"Riiiiight..." I said, trying to figure out what to do next. "How much of the city have you two covered?"

"I think the entire east perimeter." Kate replied thoughtfully.

"Okay, and we've done the west, near as I can figure, so that leaves the north and south sides, and the heart of the city itself." I concluded, speaking more to myself than to the others. "How many phantoms have you seen?"

"Just the band who attacked us," said Kate. "About ten of them."

"Any Type As?"

"Nope."

"In that case," I decided, "we'll go down and look at the south side, since that's the closest. Then we'll double back and move through the middle of the city, coming out on the north side. That sound like a plan?"

"I can't think of anything better," Kate said, smiling suddenly. "Which is code for _sounds like a plan_."

"Then that's what we'll do—but one more thing," I added, struck by a sudden thought, "have you seen any unusual projections of golden orbs around the place?"

"Actually, yes, now that I think about it," said Kate with interest. "What's it to you? Have you been seeing them as well?"

"Yep, and I'd like to know what the hell they are." I said firmly. "They may be important."

"Capital presumption, Inspector," Kate chuckled, "but how about we take down these phantoms first?"

"Probably a good idea." I admitted, and with that, we took off again, headed south.

* * *

"This place is extraordinarily confusing." I said, aggrieved, gazing around at the twisted collection of paths heading in random directions, surrounded by pathetic sections of half-crumbled wall and piles of bricks and rubble. This lot was covered in heaps of the ivy-like plants, snaking here and there among the ruins like some kind of immense monster with a thousand tentacles, hugging the tatterdemalion old place to itself like a child who won't share his toys with his sibling.

"Yup." Kate muttered shortly, slicing her way through the plants like a boss, hacking the greenery to bits with the laser sword on her BakuPod. Nova and Roximor didn't say anything. Nova was too busy looking out for phantoms, and Rox was gritting his teeth tightly, wincing in pain whenever he put his burnt foot to the ground. However, he didn't complain, and bore the injury like a man—well, like a great big monster, really, seeing as that's what he more or less actually _was_.

"Hey, up ahead." I nudged Kate, motioning in front of us: about twenty phantoms were posted along the wall, like sentries. "See 'em?" I asked softly.

"Aye aye, Cap'ain, I see them." she replied, loading her blaster as she spoke. "To arms."

"Righto." I said, sliding the ammo clip into place and locking the card dock shut with a _chik-CHIK_ noise that was really quite gratifying.

"Ready, Nova?" I whispered.

"Absolutely." he answered quietly.

"On the count of three, then. One...two...three—CHARGE!" I screamed, running towards the phantoms and waving my blaster wildly. Kate followed soon enough, shooting a hail of light bolts at the phantoms. On hearing us, said phantoms had started to approach slowly, ghastly mouths gaping, ready to shoot their deadly fire.

"You ghosties want some of _this _badassery?" I screeched without knowing what I was saying, a moment before I tripped over a rock and went sprawling. A wash of bluish fire flew over my head as I choked down a wail of agony and my eyes began to water. It felt like my entire underside was being bored into by the collection of pointy rocks and other debris on the ground. (They say pride goes before a fall. I believe that now, only it's more like being full of yourself comes before falling to the ground and busting yourself to bits on sharp gravel.)

Kate, meanwhile, was firing laser after laser at the phantoms as they hovered forward at an awfully slow pace, spewing fire as they came closer and closer... Nova ducked, just narrowly missing having his head covered in the stuff, and let loose a massive fireball which took out several of the enemy at once.

I finally managed to drag myself to my feet and, after getting my head together, started shooting, jumping hastily out of the way as a phantom loomed up behind me and nearly burnt my backside off.

"Watch where you're spitting that stuff!" I screamed indignantly, shooting the phantom in the head and causing it to go _pfft_ like the others.

Roximor roared at a pair of phantoms who were approaching him slowly, but I dispatched them before they could do him any more damage. "You have my gratitude, Ally of the Rune! Prosperity unto you!" he cried, as with a flap of his wings, he lifted himself into the air and out of harm's way. Within five minutes, all the phantoms were nullified. In another ten, the south border was clear.

"Time for the hardest part." I said, attempting to sound macho, but (I was most rudely informed later) in reality sounding like someone who is in need of a paramedic.

"The heart of the city?" asked Kate, sounding mildly disturbed by the macho voice.

"Yup—unless you'd rather go for the liver." I joked feebly. No one laughed.


	16. Chapter Fifteen: Hostile Presence

**Chapter Fifteen – Hostile Presence**

"Well, shall we?" suggested Nova. Before anyone could reply, however, Roximor suddenly gave a cry of pain and called out, saying his leg was starting to feel stiff.

"Blackened Arse-Crack of Curse-Eating Faerie Psychopaths!" I said in alarm, causing the others to start violently. I then rushed over to take a look as Rox dropped from the sky, groaning as he tried to move his leg, which had seized up. Examining his skin carefully, I couldn't see any signs of the acidic effects, but as I said to the others, I couldn't be sure that they wouldn't start soon. "We've got to get him out of here." I decided firmly.

"And where will he go?" snapped Kate. "D'you think the Darkus Bakugan have figured out how to stop the effects of the phantomfire? You saw how many of them have been killed!"

"He's got to be transported back to Starsector." I insisted. "Our medics should be able to help him. Kate, you have to take him back!"

"And while we're gone, you and Nova will be left to deal with the rest of these phantoms and finish Operation Vestroia by yourselves?" Kate shot back incredulously. "That's insane. No, it's not insane, it's _suicide!_ You'll never make it without backup."

"Don't underestimate us." I said quietly. "We've got to do what's best for Rox—"

"No," said Roximor, speaking up suddenly. "Remember what Kate said back in Subterra Space? _Sometimes you've got to take risks for the greater good._ Remember? I may be injured, I might even die, but if Kate and I retreat now, leaving you two to fend these bastards off alone, Operation Vestroia may be delayed—or worse, it may fail altogether. If _that_ happens, this war could be the death of your race, and my brothers and sisters in the grip of the Sektarii might never be freed. Do you want that? _I_ certainly don't, and if this injury causes that to happen, I'll never be able to live with the guilt—assuming I survive at all."

I felt the eyes of my companions on me, and my skin flushed. "You two are so stupid!" I yelled. "Do you think Nova and I can't handle this ourselves? Are you saying it's because of _you_ that we've got this far? Do you reckon you're _better _than us? Because if that's the way you think it is, then you can get—"

"That's not it at all, you stuck-up baby!" screamed Kate, balling her hands into fists. "No matter how good you and Nova are, you're still outnumbered."

"Numbers don't—"

"PHYRA!" roared Nova, throwing the two of us into silence. "Get a grip on yourself! The two of you should know better than to fight at a time like this!" He glared as Kate and I looked at each other, still angry, but no longer inclined to tear each other's heads off.

At last, I turned away and muttered, "Fine, Rox can stay here until we've cleared out this nest of phantoms, but once we're done here, you're taking him back for help." I gave Kate a fierce look, daring her to contradict me. She didn't, and we began to walk slowly, wordlessly, into the centre of Zar'mhetres. Roximor limped painfully along in the rear, Nova padded forward at the front, keeping a watch for more phantoms, and Kate and I strode side by side in the middle as the tense, angry silence gradually turned to an embarrassed, apologetic silence.

On and on we trudged, at last descending down a set of cracked stairs which led us through a narrow, underground passageway that slowly spiralled into the heart of the city. When at last it came to an end, we found ourselves on an overhanging balcony that looked out over a wide, spacious chamber. This chamber was likely some kind of performance area, judging by the fact that there was what might have been a stage at the far end, and what remained of several rows of colosseum-like steps, presumably for sitting on. Filling this chamber were a huge number of phantoms, at least six of which I recognised to be Type As, for every now and then, one of them would spawn another, much smaller Type B phantom.

"Yikes!" I breathed, wide-eyed. "There must be _hundreds _of them!"

"Yeah, and increasing every few minutes." Kate replied grimly.

"Well, then, the sooner we destroy them, the better." I said resolutely, checking the amount of ammunition I had left.

"Hold it," Kate whispered urgently, putting a hand on my arm as I was about to begin firing.

"What now?" I began, exasperated.

"We're going to need a plan if we're going to take on that many of them." she pointed out.

"Alright," I muttered, looking around in search of inspiration. After a moment, I saw something that looked as though it might help us: hanging up near the roof, rotten to the point where it was all but hanging by a nonliteral thread, was an enormous beam of wood, no doubt once a part of the ceiling. "Nova," I muttered, thinking up a plan.

"What is it?" he hissed back, not taking his eyes off the mass of phantoms below us. Quickly, I whispered something to him. He nodded, and summoning forth his energy, cried, "KNIFE OF FIRE!" He shot from his mouth a blast of fire that took on the vague appearance of a flat, pointed blade and whizzed forward, setting the wooden beam alight and melting the rusting metal bands that kept it fastened to the roof, causing the whole thing to come crashing down on top of the phantoms. This in turn rendered the majority of the Type Bs nullified.

Now being our cue, I yelled, "GO FOR IT!" I then jumped wildly from the balcony, shooting as I went. Kate did the sensible thing and took the stairs, and Nova flew down, spitting jets of fire in every direction. The phantoms took a moment to realise what was happening, which cost them a fair few more of their numbers, but there were still at great many left when they began to gather themselves up for an attack. "Get to the Type As first!" I called to Kate and Nova, who shouted back a response and began cutting their way through the enemy.

We made for the Type As, which were now spawning new phantoms as fast as they could. I reached the larger phantoms first, and emptied an entire clip into the thick of them, taking two down where they stood—er, floated. Then, dodging streams of phantomfire as best as I could, I darted out of the way and inserted another clip into my blaster.

Meanwhile, Nova had now flown over, mowing down several Type Bs on the way. With a huge fireball, he next obliterated another of the Type As. Kate then arrived just as I finished loading my weapon and together the three of us finished off the remaining Type As. We turned around after that, and realised with horror that we were now surrounded by the Type Bs. Phantoms were gathered on every side, ready to hurl their deadly fire into out midst.

"We'll never be able to finish them all in time!" Kate cried wildly. "They'll hit us before we're even halfway done!"

"Well, we've got to try!" I shouted back, not ceasing fire for a second. Nova and Kate glanced at each other, then followed my lead, keeping up a steady stream of projectiles that cut the enemy hordes down by the bucket-load. Eventually though, it got to a point where the phantomfire was getting harder and harder to avoid, and I decided to switch tactics. "Nova! Use Black Hole!" I yelled.

Nova understood and roared out a command that brought a black void into being amidst the throng of phantoms before us. It absorbed a large amount of the phantomfire, converted it back to energy and shot it over to Nova. Nova, for his part, actually sizzled with the power, and gave off an extra-large blast of fire that took out about twenty of the phantoms at once. Then, disregarding his safety, he put out his knives. They glowed red-hot as he jumped forwards, using his natural speed to slash through the phantoms easily, whilst his ninja-like agility aided him in dodging the enemy fire.

Kate and I, meanwhile, kept up with firing our weapons, but even with all three of us doing our utmost to defend ourselves, it didn't look like we'd make it...until Roximor surprised us all by giving a great roar and flying down to help. "I may not be able to attack these blighters," he growled fiercely, not showing any pain, though I could see his leg was worse, "but I can still defend my Runic Allies! GRIFFON SHIELD!" A bright green wall of light appeared in between us and the phantoms, blocking their fire.

"Great one, Rox! Just keep it up!" Kate cried, while Nova and I continued shooting over the top of the wall. In time, with our combined efforts, the enemy numbers were reduced to nothing but a few lingering cyan fumes.

"Excellent job, everyone." I said, cheered by our success.

"Definitely." agreed Kate. "Are you alright, Rox?"

"I'm okay," Roximor growled through clenched teeth. I saw with an awful jolt, though, that his leg was now completely paralysed.

"Come on, we've got to get back to Dex Morthor as quick as we can." I told Kate. "We'll set up a portal for you and Rox there, and I'll talk to Heriale about the possibility of the Darkus Bakugan accompanying you."

"Fine," she said, "but I still don't think this is a—"

"Just leave it, will you?" I snapped. "We're not discussing this any longer. You're going back to Starsector to get Rox's injury treated."

"And what happens if you two should get yourselves into a situation back here and need help?" she asked hotly.

"Then _I'll_ take the blame." I said loftily.

"That's assuming there's anyone left alive to _give _you the blame—"

"I _said_, we're not discussing this." I replied in spades. "Just look at Rox's injury. I can _see _the acidic effect beginning! Don't you even care about your own guardian?" I indicated the burnt part on Roximor's leg, which _was_, in fact, starting to bubble and fizz ominously.

Kate bit her lip, examining the wound for herself. Finally, she looked up, and though her expression gave no hint, I could see a trace of fear in her eyes. "Alright, you win. We'll go back." she said flatly, "But if anything happens while we're away..."

"It won't." I assured her, speaking more gently than before. "I promise." After that, there was no further need for talking. Once we'd made sure that Roximor was able and willing to fly, we got up on our unlikely steeds and took off into the black sky, it being close to "midnight" by this time.

We were unusually quiet on the way to Dex Morthor, keeping a strange silence that was broken only by the occasional whimper from Rox as the acidic properties of the fire adhering to his leg got gradually worse. I couldn't say why none of us spoke, or why the quiet was so disturbing, except that there was an eerie feeling to the night, as though there were a hostile presence lurking out there somewhere, ready to strike out and put some randomly evil scheme into action...

* * *

Eventually we touched down again in Dex Morthor, ready to deliver the good news to Heriale and the rest of the Darkus Bakugan. It was much quieter there now, as presumably the Hydranoids had calmed down sufficiently to leave off with the political crap, which was something to be grateful for. When we entered Heriale's palace, though, we found an unsettling air about the area, and when we ran into Heriale himself, he informed us that what Nova had suspected might happen had come true: the Sword of Dharaknoid had been stolen.

"How did it happen?" I asked, trying to get my head around the matter.

"It was quite strange, really." Heriale replied with a couple of his left heads. "One day it was there, and the next, it was gone! Absolutely extraordinary!"

"Like Kensington's pigeons." muttered a random bystander.

"Have you any suspicions as to the identity of the culprit?" I questioned, thinking to my gratification that I sounded just like a detective.

Heriale shook three of his heads. "No, none." he said. "Certainly none of the other Darkus Bakugan took it—I would have sensed it. What I can't understand, though, is why anyone would want to steal it. After all, it was only a decoration, a mere toy designed to simply mark the head of the Sylathix clan, that is all, no real power to it. Hell, the _blade _wasn't even sharp!"

"You have a point," I admitted, "but there's got to be a reason behind this. Two other clans have had random artefacts taken from them, and who's to say there aren't more? What's most disturbing about all this is since we don't know who's doing it, we are unable to do more than guess at their motives."

"Exactly." agreed Heriale. "Which is why, should you encounter any other Bakugan in your travels, you must warn them to keep any ancient, powerful or symbolic items safe, just to be sure that we've done our best to defend against whatever evil is at work here."

"Speaking of evil at work," I said suddenly, while the others nodded wisely to themselves for some reason—perhaps in order to look wise, "now that the threat of the plasma phantoms has passed, are you and the other Darkus Bakugan able to help us out? Kate and Rox need to get back to Starsector quickly, so we'll be setting up a portal for them in a moment. Therefore, now is the best time to decide, for if you'll come, then you can travel through the portal with them."

"An excellent idea," Heriale approved, "and I myself am perfectly willing to help. I can also speak for the Sylathix clan, whom I have discussed the matter with. They will accompany me, and help in the fight. However, last time I looked, the Hydranoids and their supporters didn't seem quite at ease with the prospect of travelling to another dimension, and I'm afraid nothing I can say will sway them. You'll have to talk to them yourselves."

There was a moment's silence as I looked at the others nervously, thinking about how ferocious the Hydranoids had looked earlier—and from what I'd seen of Reapers and Lasermen, they weren't particularly friendly either, especially when Darkus Attributed. "That seems reasonable enough." I said at last. "I'll see what I can do, but meanwhile, could you gather up the Sylathix Bakugan and bring them here while I set up the portal?"

"Very well," said Heriale, and he slithered out the double-doors, leaving the four of us alone with a couple of random bystander Bakugan.

"Hey there., could one of you please bring our—er—_friend_, Kensington, here?" I asked the random bystanders, flipping the switch that began the portal-creation process.

"I'll do it." said one of the randoms, and he disappeared out the door after Heriale.

"Thanks, ya mug, and pardon my Torrenic." I said without thinking, as a rainbow void ripped itself into being with a _shhfff _noise.

"That's, um, quite a nice portal you've got there." said the other random nervously.

"Sure is," I acknowledged appreciatively.

"Yes, absolutely charming." said Kate drily. "Well, I suppose this is goodbye, then. At least for the moment."

"Don't be so bitter," I said lightly. "That's not the Kate I know. Feel free to come back when Rox is better, okay?"

"Okay," she said dubiously, before adding to Roximor, "it's going to be alright, mate. We'll get you into the medical bay soon enough."

Rox only grimaced and said, "Just stop looking at my leg, alright, Kate? I don't want—" He broke off with a yell of pain and collapsed to the ground, shaking horribly.

"Bloody hell," I cursed softly. "Kate, don't look now, but I can see the bone_ showing through._"

Kate turned pale. "Great-Aunt Betsy," she murmured, too distraught for proper profanity. "Rox, can you speak to me?" she questioned urgently, kneeling by the great beast's head. "Rox? _Rox! _ROXIMOR!"

Rox gave a start at hearing his name spoken in full, and looked at her. "Don't worry about me, Kate," he murmured. "Please, I'll be—" His leg twitched and he shut his eyes tight, whimpering again.

"You've got to go now," I said sharply. She looked at me once, nodded and said, "Can you help me get him into the portal?"

"Sure, Nova, give us a hand!" I called to my guardian, who immediately sprinted over and helped us push the enormous griffon into the portal, where his fur gave off a faint glow that mirrored the sides of the passageway around him.

As he got further away, Kate stepped in after him. "I'll be back, Phyra," she said. "Look after him for me, Nova."

"No fear of that," Nova called back, as they disappeared from sight. Just then, Heriale and the Sylathix appeared in the doorway, ready to leave Darkus Space and fight in the war for their brothers and sisters. Quickly explaining to them how to travel through, and what to do when they got to Starsector, I had them go through one at a time, in an orderly fashion.

When the last of them had vanished, along with the random bystander who had been watching the whole thing, I heard the door open again. I turned to see the first random returning with a skipping Kensington and his pigeons, followed, strangely enough, by the Hydranoids and other remnants of the Netheros clan.

"Thanks," I said hurriedly to the random, who then entered the portal himself. "I'll be with you in a minute, Kensington," I added, nodding at the eccentric old dotard, who waved merrily. "So, what are you guys doing here?" I asked curiously of the leading Hydranoid, a particularly large Bakugan with a couple of his front teeth missing.

"Well," he hissed in a low voice, "we heard that you and your friends destroyed the accursed Cyan Ones, and we wanted to know how you, a couple of puny stick-figures from another dimension, and their renegade Bakugan—" He leered at Nova, who growled warningly. "—could succeed where we, the Netheros, failed."

"Oh," I said, trying not to laugh as I realised the situation. "Well, it was nothing to do with superiority, mind," I hastened to placate them. "It's simply that they are of a unique build that cannot be overcome by Dark Element Bakugan." When I saw that they didn't follow, I explained about plasma phantoms and how to nullify them. "I'm sure if the nullifying of phantoms required _negative _energy, you Netheros Bakugan would be unmatched in your ability to do so." I finished courteously.

The Hydranoid seemed mollified, but I could sense Nova was feeling irritable at being thus humbled before these Bakugan, whom he still evidently didn't like. So I motioned for him to leave, at which he spread his wings haughtily and exited the room, pointedly ignoring the lot of us. I sighed, then looked up as one of the Reapers began to speak.

"The battle," he rasped, flicking his tongue out slowly, "must have been gloriousss... Tell usss all about it."

"I hate to brag," I said airily, "but there _was_ some pretty corking action out there." I proceeded to relate to them our adventures in Zar'mhetres, conveniently omitting to add the bit about my tripping over that rock. A good story doesn't need to be blemished with pointless little things like that. "...And there were these glowing orb projection thingamajigs floating all over the place," I said. "They reminded me of this arcade game I used to play. I can't remember what it was. 'Pac' something or other, anyway..."

"Ahh, the Lighth of Thar'mhetreth..." sighed the smallest Hydranoid, who I remembered had a lisp, which was really rather odd.

"Lights of Zar'mhetres?" I repeated questioningly.

"Zar'mhetres means _Place of Lights_." explained the first Hydranoid. "It was once renowned for the shining orbs that lit up the streets with their beauty. Vyrrius, the head of Zar'mhetres, had a device which powered these orbs. I can only presume that when he was killed by the Cyan Ones, his device was left running, though maybe some of the orbs were destroyed in the battle."

"I see..." I said, not really seeing. "But this is not really the particular issue I want to address. What I want to ask you most is—"

"We know what you want," interrupted the Hydranoid. "We're just not sure that we want to help you."

"But why not?" I persisted. "Your strength is _legendary—_if in a rather unflattering way..."

"Precisely." the Hydranoid said sharply. "No one in their right mind would want _us _fighting for them, so why should we go and demean ourselves, crushing what little dignity we have left by rushing forward with dreams of glory, only to be shunned by our own comrades-in-arms?"

"Don't be absurd!" I blurted out. "You're not _going_ to be shunned. Our army in Starsector will welcome _any _Bakugan willing to help!"

"Maybe they will," said the Hydranoid, "but that doesn't mean they or anyone else will trust us completely. Why should we endure it? We've already put up with the hate and scorn of our own kindred for our entire lives, just because of who our ancestors were. We shouldn't be held accountable for the evil of Darcell, who besmirched our good name forever when he began that wretched war, which is even _named_ after us to add insult to injury."

"But this is exactly why you _should_ fight," I pressed. "Don't you see? What better way to redeem yourselves than to fight _alongside _the other Bakugan instead of against them? Why, if you help us to victory, I'll wager you'll restore the Hydranoids' name completely. You'll win not only the admiration and respect of your fellows, but also the acceptance you've been denied for so long. What say you?"

I looked hopefully at the motley group before me, and saw that most of them looked thoughtful, as though considering my words and finding them to be at least partly true. The leader still didn't look entirely convinced, though. "Hey," I said kindly, "even if the other Bakugan continue to dislike you after this, at least you'll be happy knowing you've done nothing to deserve it. You'd have done your best to earn back the respect of your brothers, and if they refuse to give it, then that's their problem, isn't it? If they don't want to associate with you after all you've done, it's _their _loss, not yours—for who wants to be in the society of the ungrateful, anyway? Not _you _guys, surely."

This time, my persuasive speech seemed to sway the leader, and after a moment of thinking, he finally said, "Boy of Starsector, you may be young, but you possess the reason of many who are older and wiser than yourself. I believe you have shown us the way to a happier life than the one we have previously known. Thank you, and you have my answer now: if this really seems the best way towards regaining true acknowledgement from our fellows, then I will fight for you."

"I'm sure Fate will reward you well for your actions." I smiled, as the rest of his band eagerly chimed in, saying that they also would join us in the war. Then there was general cheering and waving of random appendages. I directed the Netheros through the portal, and when the last was gone, I turned to Kensington.

"Marvellously done, old chap." he said approvingly.

"Uh, thanks." I said awkwardly, as suddenly the power of eloquence seemed to drain from my body at the mere sight of the weird old man.

"Merp." trilled Dixie.

"Derp." replied Sausage, who was the fattest of the pigeons, and very sleepy most of the time.

"Did that pigeon just say _derp_?" I asked suddenly, before I could stop myself.

"It certainly did, my good man." beamed Kensington.

"How extraordinary," I murmured to myself, before adding in normal tones, "Kensington, you should really be going back to Starsector with the others. I'm sure General Harp—I mean, Hiroshai will be able to—"

"Thank you for offering, dear boy, but I'm afraid I must say no." Kensington interposed firmly. "I have no intention of going to Starsector at this point in my life, for my business in Vestroia is not yet finished."

"Business? What business?" I queried. It was the first time Kensington had ever hinted towards his reasons for being in Vestroia.

"Ah...I'm afraid the time is not yet ripe for this discussion." said Kensington apologetically.

"Now, look here, mate—" I began to protest, but he cut me off impatiently with, "_You_ look here, boy! I'm a jolly sight more powerful than you'd think, and I am absolutely _not _going to budge!"

"Right, so what _are _you going to do, then?" I retorted in annoyance.

"Do? Why, I'm coming with you, of course!" he grinned.

"Of course. I should have known." I sighed. "And I don't have any say in this, do I?"

"None at all." smiled Kensington.

"I didn't think so." I muttered blackly.

"Merp." chirped Dixie.

"Derp." cooed Sausage.

"So. Um." I went on awkwardly, ignoring the pigeons, "I reckon we'll just set up another portal as per usual—"

"Actually, don't you think it would be better to have a li'l look-see round the other wonderbubble provinces of this esteemed territory?" he said, in tones so intelligently reasonable that I suddenly felt exceedingly annoyed.

"Come again?" I asked, baffled.

"Shouldn't we look at the other ruined cities of Darkus Space?" he said patiently.

"Oh." I uttered, not having much else to say. "What do you think, Nova?" I questioned, turning to my guardian, who had flown back into the room as soon as the Netheros had gone.

"Well, there's not much point, is there?" he said sceptically. "I mean, we finished off all those darned phantoms—and at a high cost, too. The Darkus Bakugan have all gone over to Starsector...so, we should be the only ones here, right?"

"My senses indicate that we are not alone, m'boy." said Kensington with dignity.

"I'm no boy, you old fool!" began an outraged Nova. "I'm a—"

"Simmer down, hotheaded youths." I said patronisingly. "This is no time for petty squabbles."

"Yeah, settle, petal." cooed Alfred, in her soft, musical voice (and don't ask _me _why she was called Alfred. I didn't name her).

"Did that pigeon just say _yeah, settle petal_!?" Nova and I screeched together.

"Certainly, my dear fellows." said Kensington.

"How extraordinary." we said dreamily.

"Honestly, old boys, you'd think you'd have both gotten used to it by now." Kensington reproved with some irritation.

"I suppose," I mumbled, "but hey, we're not getting any further along with our decision. I for one think that there's no point in staying here any longer."

"Agreed." added Nova.

"But my senses—" Kensington began forlornly.

"Fate can bloody-well spread your senses on his cheesecake and _eat them_, Kensington!" I screamed. "If you refuse to tell us any more about your stupid _senses_, then you can either shut up and stop arguing, or get lost!"

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you." said Kensington in a little voice.

"Yeah, yeah, and your imaginary poodle can have my peanut supply for breakfast tomorrow if you're right." I yawned, creating another portal with as much disinterested style as I could muster.

"I sense we're being followed, and by the heavens, you'll be sorry, mark my words." Kensington muttered sullenly.

"Merp." said Dixie.

"Don't you start." I warned.

"Derp." said Sausage.

"Did that pigeon just—" Nova began, but broke off as I glared at him.

"Okay, gang," I said loudly. "We're off, like Grandfather's trousers."

"Great Genesis, you sound just like Kensington." growled Nova. "And on top of that, you're about as interesting as a scone recipe."

"Whatevs, let's just get through this portal before the cows come home." I said, taking my own advice. Nova soon followed me, then Kensington and his pigeons. The portal closed behind us, and we were flying through the shining tunnel once more, several of the pigeons emitting a high-pitched chorus of _merp_s, _derp_s, and _settle, petal_s. Nova and I blocked our ears, but Kensington waved his hands around like some intoxicated orchestra conductor. Eventually we fell out of the other end of the portal, and I—

"I MADE A BLEEDIN' PERFECT LANDING!" I yelled, punching the air.

"Good for you, sonny." said Kensington, only it came out rather muffled since he had done a spectacular face-plant into a puddle. "The news sounds about as exciting as a budgerigar convention."

"Too bad Kate wasn't here to see you." Nova added with a snigger.

"That's not funny, Nova." I said, remembering the fight we'd had.

"Merp." said Dixie.

"Derp." said Sausage.

"Herp." said Spot.

"Did that pigeon just say _herp_!?" hollered Nova.

"Oh, Fate help us." I moaned.

"How extraordinary." said Nova.

"Yeah, yeah," I grunted, looking around at the broad expanse of streaming rivers and glittering oceans that surrounded us, punctuated by clusters of small islands. "Gee, this place is nice." I added appreciatively. "White sandy beaches, crystal-clear waters, forests of palm trees..." Nova put on a bored expression. "I can only deduce," I said impressively, posing like a boss, "that we are in—"

"Get on with it." said Nova, tripping me up with a swift flick of his tail.

"What did you do that for, you drip!?" I squealed.

"Ummm...felt like it?" he said, shrugging.

"Well, as I was saying," I announced ceremoniously, resuming my pose and dodging another swish of Nova's tail. "We can only be in one place—"

"Aquos Space?" supplied Kensington.

"_I_ was going to say that! _Cheesecake_, you're annoying!" I groaned.

"Okay, Phyra, calm down, don't get your _non-existent_ underpants in a knot." Nova said amiably. "So we're in Aquos Space—and now we have to find the Aquos Bakugan and ask them to fight with our army."

"Nova, you really need to stop this infernal stating the obvious thingy of yours." I sighed, shaking my head.

"I'll do it the very instant you decide to grow up." retorted Nova.

"Challenge accepted." I said in what I hoped was an awesome manner, and then promptly did a poncy first-class old lady impersonation, assuming an stern expression. "Have some tea, deary?" I asked, pursing my lips.

"Ha ha." said Nova acidly. "Shall we find these Aquos Bakugan now?"

"Right. Totally focused here. I imagine we'll have to swim part of the way." I mused, shading my eyes against the late afternoon sun.

"Yuck! I'm certainly not getting _my _scales wet for _anyone_." huffed Nova.

"Fine, we'll fly, then." I said agreeably, climbing up onto my favourite spot behind his head. Nova looked depreciatingly over at Kensington, who had taken a packet of nuts out of his pocket and was eating them absent-mindedly in a rather bizarre manner which reminded me of Squadmaster Xaen, back at the BBS. He'd always used to eat fish that way.

"Do I have to carry _him?_" Nova asked disgustedly.

"I imagine so." I replied bracingly. Nova grumbled to himself and reluctantly allowed Kensington to sit on the tip of his tail. "Hey, you only have to _carry_ him." I said. "_I _have to be his travelling companion."

"Fair point," Nova acknowledged, taking off in a flash of fire and burst of darkness. We were off, soaring over the vast stretches of water and sand, decorated attractively with palms and other exotic flora, looking for signs that Aquos Bakugan were near. At one stage, Kensington started humming the theme to _Pirates of the Caribbean_, which seemed oddly appropriate. Nova and I didn't join in, though, because we considered ourselves above that sort of practise. Maybe. Well, maybe not. Maybe we _did_ join in. A bit.

As we travelled, I found my thoughts wandering repeatedly to Kate and Roximor, wondering if they'd made it back safely, if they were okay... If they weren't, then— _Of course they're fine. _I told myself sternly. _Just don't worry about them. Kate's an adult now, and an experienced fighter, just like Rox. They're doing swimmingly. They've _got _to be..._

Then I started thinking about Jack and Mikael, wondering if they were still at the BBS. Jack would be in his last year now, and Mikael in his second-last. Were Nicholas, Rianna and Benjamin still there? Was Mikael still fighting with Nicholas? And where in the dimension had _Kyros_ got to? My expression darkened as I thought about all that Kyros had done to me, had done to my life, taken the life of my friend...

"Siege," I murmured without realising it.

Nova gave an irritable toss of his head, as though shooing a fly away. "You need to let go of the past, Phyra. What's done is done."

"Yeah, but what hasn't been done yet can still be changed." I muttered grimly.

"And what do you mean by that?"

"Never mind."

"You're not thinking up some wild plan of revenge, are you?"

"Will you drop it?" I shouted. "How can I plan revenge against that twelve-colour bastard when I don't even know where he is?"

"Just asking." Nova growled softly. "Didn't mean to touch a nerve, you know."

"Like hell you didn't." I retorted hotly. "You're jealous of Siege's memory, admit it! You're afraid that I valued him more than I value you!"

"I am not!" cried Nova indignantly, his eyes blazing. "I'm far above such childish behaviour. I just don't want you cooking up crazy vengeance schemes and hurting yourself!"

"Honestly, you sound like an over-protective mother." I snapped. "Go ahead and deny it all you want, but I know you hate it when I talk about Siege, cos you're cross that you couldn't be my first guardian."

"Over-protective mother, am I? What are you worked up about _that _for? We all know you could use one of _those!_"

I flinched, as though he had tried to strike me, and felt my eyes grow dim. "That was low, Nova." I said quietly, though my voice trembled with anger.

"Tough titty, mate." he said. "No need to be the tragic hero. You're not the only one who's lost parents here."

"Oh, what, so you deserve more sympathy than me?" I demanded heatedly. "Just cos you survived a war when you shouldn't have, and have to live with your guilt? Fine, I'll humour you, then!" This time it was Nova who fell silent, and he remained quiet as we continued to fly for the rest of the day. The sun set slowly on the horizon, causing the huge world of water to glow a fiery orange.

* * *

After a while, my anger died, replaced with shame at how I'd treated Nova. To be fair, he hadn't been much better, but after all, if he said something horrible to me, that didn't give me the right to do the same to him...and he'd been through more than I had... I felt quite miserable, but I couldn't really think of a convenient way to apologise at this point, and even if I could have, I wasn't at all sure if Nova had calmed down sufficiently for me to bring the issue up again. I was reminded unpleasantly of the time when Siege and I had fought, back before—it happened. I hoped that _this_ friendship wouldn't end in the same way.

I then reflected sadly that there had once been a time when I'd been a nice, pleasant kid, who got along with everyone and rarely raised his voice in anger. Nowadays, it felt like all I ever did was yell at people, especially my friends... The sun eventually set, plunging Aquos Space into a deep, cool darkness, broken only by a sullen red glow where the sun had disappeared beneath the edge of the world.

"We'll land over on that island for the night." said Nova tersely, breaking the silence, if only for a second. I didn't reply, and nor did Kensington, who had been patiently clinging to Nova's tail and listening to the melodramatic exchanges the whole time.

Land we did, and Kensington and I went to set up camp, while Nova sat on the edge of the island and looked out at the sea, with only the pigeons keeping him company. As I prepared a non-miraculously foul dinner of processed-processed-processed broccoli-and-mint pasties, together with a jar of chilli sauce that Kensington had found in his pocket, I looked furtively over at Nova, but he made no move to join us. So I gave him his space, at least until Kensington went to bed. The latter whistled to his pigeons, who screeched at the terrible noise and flew off in protest, whereupon I went hesitantly over and sat beside my disconsolate guardian.

Neither of us said anything for a few minutes, and save for the water level rising and falling, hitting the beach with a low _sshhh_ kind of noise, not a sound could be heard, so that an eerie quiet fell over all. A few moments passed, and I fancied I could hear the sound of my beating heart echoing on the rocks around us. The tip of Nova's tail twitched, and I found myself unconsciously counting the scales on his dark underside. I shuffled my feet awkwardly, then, tiring of the lack of noise, finally said what I'd been longing to say for an unbearably long time. "Listen Nova, about before...I'm—"

"Don't worry about it." he interrupted, speaking at last. "I feel that way, too." It was now completely dark, and I couldn't see his face, but I could tell from his tone that his anger had abated as mine had.

"Sorry, old sunshine," I went on. "I shouldn't have said what I did."

"Neither should I, and I promise I won't let bygone events come between us again. Forgive me?" he asked.

"So long as you forgive _me_," I said with a small smile as I hugged him tightly.

"So, um, is that pigeon on your head for a reason, or...?" He trailed off, eyeing Dixie, who had indeed been roosting on my head for the last fifteen minutes or so.

"What the—?" I gasped, shaking her off disgustedly. "How the hell did she get there without my noticing? What's she done to my beautiful _hair?!_"

"So much for a soppy BFF make-up moment." said Nova drily.

"Yeah, well, I can't say I'm sorry." I replied. "Drama is fun on the screen, but there's no need to turn life into one."

We walked over to the tent, out of which strange snores emerged, sounding like a kind of endless chant: _"...neverluvvaduckkagain, neverluvvaduckkagain, neverluvvaduckkagain..."_

"Merp." said Dixie. I ignored her and peered into the tent, where I discovered that Paschal, a particularly wiry pigeon with a somewhat nervous disposition, was the one snoring. Kensington on the other hand, was wide awake and standing on his hands in the middle of the tent.

"What the hell are you doing?" I queried in bewilderment.

"Just my nightly workout routine, old boy." puffed Kensington, who then fell over on top of Sausage, who gave a great screech of "DERRRRRRPPPPP!" This then woke up all the other pigeons, who had by this time all returned to the tent. A chorus of random screamed protests ensued, accompanied by a _how extraordinary!_ or two from Nova.

"Um, moving on, I think." I murmured, keeping up a poker face as I hastily undressed under my blanket (a rather amazing skill of mine, and a handy one if you're not too fond of flashing your _non-existent_ underwear to completely loopy strangers like Kensington). "Nova, will you be okay out there?"

"Yup, don't worry, there's a rather nice pile of rocks out here that looks suitable to my needs," he replied. "Though I must say, it's times like these where being a ball comes in handy, really."

"Ah, never mind, I'm sure you'll cope." I grinned, turning off the lamp, to groans of disappointment from the pigeons (I hadn't previously known that pigeons could groan, but then, they _were_ rather extraordinary pigeons, as we all know full-well by this time, so make no further comment or speculation on it).

"Goodnight, Phyra."

"Goodnight, Nova."

"TALLY HO, CHAPS!"

"Um, yeah. Goodnight, Kensington."

* * *

The next morning, I was awoken rather unceremoniously by a few of the pigeons. It seemed they had formed something of a choir and were practising some song, no doubt of their own invention, that sounded a little like this:

"_Chirpity chirp chirp, hootetty hoot hoot, twittery tweet tweet,_

_MERPPETTY DERPETTY HERP HERP! (repeat infinitely)"_

"Will you bloody-well cut that out!?" I screamed at the pigeons, who gave an apologetic chorus of "Derp, merp, herp," and shut up. By then, however, I was too wide awake to go back to sleep, and since my yelling had roused Nova and Kensington (neither of whom were particularly happy about that), we decided to put away the tent and continue our journey after a hasty breakfast. Breakfast consisted chiefly of putrid leftovers from the night before, as well as fried pigeon eggs provided by Dixie, Alfred and Spot (normally people don't eat pigeon eggs, but we were desperate, and after all, Dixie, Alfred and Spot being rather extraordinary pigeons, the eggs tasted surprisingly nice).

As I expertly pitched the eggshells and other rubbish into our portable bin ("He's up, he _slams!_" Pumpkin screeched enthusiastically. "Did that pigeon just make a sports reference!?" shouted Nova, nearly falling into the water with surprise. "Yeah, he did!" I called back. "How extraordinary!" he replied, somewhat loudly), I noticed that the sky seemed a good deal greyer than yesterday. "Hey, Nova," I said, "is it just me, or d'you think it's going to rain?"

"I don't know," he said, looking up at the sky, "but I hope not. Too much exposure to water makes me feel ill."

"Well, in _that_ case, perhaps we should hurry up and see if we can reach the next island before things get too difficult." I suggested drily.

"You're the boss," he said, coiling his tail around me and lifting me onto his back. "Up you go."

"Why, you patronising little git!" I protested indignantly. "What was that for? I am quite capable of climbing up by myself, you know."

"Yes, but you're too slow. Now belt up, or you can swim." he replied bluntly, swooping down on a startled Kensington and lifting the shrieking man up in the same manner to sit behind me. The pigeons glanced at each other as we took to the skies, then hastily followed, eventually perching themselves on an irritated Nova's tail. "Get off me, you demented birds!" roared Nova, shaking his tail in disgust and sending the unfortunate pigeons flying.

In hindsight, that really wasn't the best manoeuvre, for even as we'd been preparing to depart, the sky had been getting darker and more ominous, with the dull rumble of thunder getting closer and louder. As Nova had roared, lightning had split the sky, and now it started to rain: lightly at first, then steadily getting heavier, with a harsh wind starting up and tossing the waves below us. Of course, all that tail-waving had thrown Nova off course, and as he struggled to regain control of his flight pattern, the wind grew harder and harder, making us all shiver violently. Even as this was happening, the rain continued pelting down, sizzling on Nova's scales and making him cry out with pain.

More lightning flashed, and the wind was forcing us out of the air. Lower and lower we sank, towards the enormous waves below. I was dimly aware that I was screaming something to Kensington, but the thunder was deafening at this point and I could neither hear myself think nor speak.

I squinted hard at the whirling storm out in front of us, trying to make out what was ahead, but a thick fog had now set in, and I couldn't see anything except clouds and more flashes of lightning. I tried to call out to Nova, telling him to try and fly below the fog and see if we could land somewhere, but to my horror, I saw that he had passed out.

We were now tumbling over and over in the air, falling, blown this way and that... I couldn't even tell what was up and what was down. Then a huge wave came out of nowhere, bigger than I had ever seen in my life. It bore down hard on us, and, having no control of where we were going, we smashed into it like a speeding jet into a building.

Then it closed over us and we were underwater, sinking lower with every passing second. I looked around wildly, but the water around me was black as pitch, lit up only for the occasional split-second as more lightning crashed high above me. I couldn't see Nova or Kensington or any of the pigeons. The pressure around me was unbearable. I couldn't breathe...

I scrabbled frantically in the water, trying to reach the surface. It was a fruitless exercise, though. My limbs could barely move, and my efforts weren't even enough to keep myself from sinking. My vision was starting to cloud up, and my body seemed to have stopped functioning. I remember quite clearly the last thing I thought before I blacked out: _You'd think... You'd think a normal bloke could live his life without this tedious fainting business all the time... I hope Kate— I hope she— I hope she remembers to—water—my pansies..._


	17. Chapter Sixteen: Madness

**Chapter Sixteen – Madness**

"Oi, retard! Wake up, you big jessie! WAKE UP!" I was roused by the sound of someone yelling pettishly in my ear.

"Ohhh," I groaned, blinking as light flooded my field of vision. "Kensington, if that's you, I will personally see that you never—"

"Who the hell is Kensington, you idiot? My name is Vernif!" came the voice, now sounding distinctly peeved. I sat stiffly up and noted foggily that the extremely rude personage addressing me was a rather small Aquos Juggernoid, who was, funnily enough, wearing a red bandanna around his head.

"Oh. Hi, Vernif. My name's Phyra, and I'm from another dimension." I said, standing with some difficulty. I felt as though the impact of the water before had fractured my skull, and possibly dislocated something (though I wasn't entirely sure what). The problem was, of course, that I didn't have the means to deal with it. _How ironic. _I thought. _I finally make a perfect landing when I enter the place, and _then _injure myself by crashing into a stupid wave._

The next thing I was aware of was that I had apparently been washed ashore on some island or other, though I had no idea which particular island it was, and had no way of telling how long I'd been unconscious. Then the worst discovery of all hit me: neither Nova nor Kensington nor any of the pigeons were in sight.

I was shaken from my dismal train of thought by Vernif, who was speaking again. "Nice to meet you, dummy." he said, though his expression said plainly that it wasn't actually very nice to meet me at all.

"You too, I think. Hey, have you seen a Pyrus Assassin Dragonoid or a local identity who smiles at everything or a flock of pigeons anywhere?" I inquired.

"Nope, sorry, dumbcluck."

"Why do you persist in insulting me thus?" I demanded, feeling somewhat cross as a result of the depressing situation I was in.

Vernif shrugged. "How about you tell me, twerp?" he asked obnoxiously.

"I dunno," I said irritably.

"See? You _are _a dummy! You don't know anything!" he concluded triumphantly.

"That's not—" I began, but was cut off with, "Shut _up_, you stupid Vogon!"

"Well you're a—"

"I _said_, shut up, you fat commie!" he screamed, before wandering off in a huff.

"Well you're a nice companion, then, aren't you?" I grumbled vaguely in his direction. Answer came there none, however. Having nothing better to do, I decided to follow Vernif—ignoring the acute twinges of pain I was feeling—in the hopes that he'd lead me to some other, preferably more polite Bakugan.

After perhaps ten minutes or so, during which the scenery didn't get any more interesting, and Vernif didn't utter a single word that wasn't part of a crude and decidedly juvenile remark of some sort, I saw Vernif snap at something that was lodged in a nearby bush, before pressing on in disgust.

My curiosity aroused, I looked into the bush myself when I passed. At first, I didn't see anything, then a familiar sound reached my less-than-impressed ears... "Merp."

"Oh. Hi, Dixie." I said unenthusiastically, helping the struggling pigeon get free of the bush. In front of me, Vernif turned around.

"Hey, retard! Did that pigeon just say _merp_?" he called.

"No, it didn't." I growled, letting my temper flare.

"Yeah it did, idiot! Not only are you a drip, but you're deaf too! Huh!" And with that, he turned back and began walking again. Heaving a sigh, I placed Dixie on my shoulder and continued after him.

* * *

For a long time, it didn't seem as though we were getting anywhere. Vernif just kept plodding along the never-ending stretch of sand, and Dixie and I just kept trekking behind like Trekkies. Well, not really, but you get the idea. The sun rose slowly up into the middle of the sky, then as the minutes ticked by and the day dwindled away, it started to go down again. At one point, I thought I saw someone lurking in the undergrowth, but further investigation revealed nothing.

Dixie was unusually silent, as though mourning something. I wondered if she missed Kensington and the other pigeons. I remember thinking to myself that if I ever found Nova, I'd never take his presence for granted again, even if we _did _get on each other's nerves a lot..

After that, I took to studying Vernif more intently. He seemed different to other Juggernoids I'd encountered. Aside from his egregious need for an attitude adjustment and liking for childish insults, he seemed quite a curious sort of Bakugan, though he hid it under a show of gruffness. He would often slow his pace to observe the many beautiful works of nature around him, though if he noticed me watching him, he'd immediately give a contemptuous snort and speed up for a while, feigning aloofness. Another thing was the peculiar spring in his step, as though he were bursting with an endless energy that bubbled out of him whether he wished it or no. I puzzled over it for a while, but as I couldn't make anything of it, I put the matter to rest and continued on.

As the evening started to fade into darkness, however, Vernif startled me by swinging abruptly around and staring into the distant landscape intently, as though searching for something. Seeing nothing, he cocked his head quizzically, sniffing the air.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Shut yer face, pudding-head!" he hissed, not looking in my direction. "There's something out there, and it ain't friendly."

"What do we do?" I whispered urgently.

Vernif didn't give any further reply except, "HUSH _UP_, YOU HALFWIT!"

"So much for being quiet," I muttered to Dixie when Vernif had wandered out of earshot.

"**MERP-A-MERP MERPY MERP!**" screeched Dixie in agreement, suddenly turning back into her noisy old self.

"Will you keep that bloody bird quiet, you drongo!?" screamed Vernif. "Or whatever's out there will _hear _us!"

"Well, _you're_ not being any quieter yourself, you—you—you—" I racked my brains for a suitable insult. "—_cheese-eater!_" I stared wildly at Vernif, and subconsciously realised after a second that I had gone into an obscure battle stance. Vernif looked back at me for a minute, seeming stunned, then to my extreme surprise (and secret gratification), he burst into tears.

"That's not very nice!" he sobbed. "I'm going to tell my mummy you said that!"

"Drink a can of concrete and harden up, cupcake." I said, smirking. "You deserved it after all the names you've been calling _me_."

"I have not been calling you names, you toffy-nosed pom!"

"Yes you have, liar!"

"Don't call me a liar, dingbat!"

"But you are one!"

"Well, you're just a soused _hippopotamus!_"

Even as I mindlessly yelled something back, I thought to myself, _He reminds me of Kate when she fights with me. We often did tend to squabble like little kids back at the BBS. Wait a minute... _Suddenly, everything about Vernif that had been confusing me suddenly fit together and made sense, and the solution had been, as always happens with answers to difficult problems, right under my nose. Vernif wasn't a fully-grown Bakugan at all. He was still a child.

"—ING THINGAMA-TETRIS CITY IN THE WHOLE OF THE NORTHERNIC SECTORS, FLIMPSINGER!" I finished without really knowing what I was saying, just as I came to this conclusion. Vernif was about to reply, when there was a roaring from nearby, and out of the bushes leapt another, very obviously aggressive Bakugan.

Vernif yelled in alarm and ducked behind a palm that insufficiently broad to conceal his armoured, stocky form completely. Narrowing my eyes against the inky blackness around us, I could barely make out the profile of the other Bakugan. I was pretty sure it was an Aquos Griffon, baring its teeth savagely and beating its wings, enveloping Vernif in a violent whirlpool of water. I jumped well out of the way, of course, having not quite got over my last water-related episode, but nonetheless, I shouted at the Griffon to stop.

The Griffin ignored me, as was to be expected, but just as I was about to try and take action of some kind, Vernif swiftly retaliated, crying, "Spinning Tornado!" He pulled his limbs into his shell, which then began whirling around rapidly, shooting out water. Next, the water created an enormous twisting fountain, speeding over to crash down on the Griffon with terrifying force.

For a moment, the water actually flashed blue, and the Griffon was lit up, so that I could see it properly. From its shape and size, I hazarded a guess that it was female. It wore a bandanna like Vernif's, only this one was green.

_What's the go with these Bakugan? _I wondered, as the two Aquos Bakugan drew closer together and engaged in a full-scale affray, hitting, kicking, biting and scratching each other with all their might.

Getting a hold of myself, I decided to call out pathetically, giving them one last chance to settle whatever feud they had in a calm and reasonable manner, like the immensely mature and grown-up person I was. "OI! Cut that out, you ridiculous ponces! This is not at all spiffing!" I hollered, yelling the first thing that came into my head. Neither Bakugan showed any signs of having heard me, and the fight continued.

Sighing heavily, I saw that I would have to take a more direct way of making peace. Loading my blaster, I peppered the two Bakugan with a volley of laser shots: low-powered, of course, just enough energy to let them off with probably a fifty percent chance of surviving...

After the scent of fried Bakugan—I'm sorry, plants. You know, trees and such—had drifted away, and the two Bakugan had regained their senses, I glared sternly at them and asked what was going on. Though maybe I didn't use those exact words, since I was feeling rather crabby (and swearing, after all, is _so_ much fun when you're around my age). Both Bakugan remained stubbornly silent, and I sighed, seeing that this wasn't going to be that easy. "Alright," I said, trying to remain calm, "if one of you doesn't speak within the next ten seconds, I'm going to set this here pigeon onto you, and let me tell you, you _don't_ want that."

"Merp-a-merppity merpy merp merp!" Dixie trilled helpfully.

The Bakugan glanced at each other, then Vernif suddenly screwed his eyes shut and began blurting out answers of questionable use. "It's her fault, you mangy sod! Her clan and the Glifrasas clan are trying to usurp my clan's rightful claim to the ultimate rule of Aquos Space! They're the ones playing dirty, spying on us and attacking us and stealing our food and gatecrashing our parties and thieving our women! It's not fair! They all deserve a life in the doom dimension! They're all a heap of—" He ran out of breath at this point and stopped, panting heavily.

I turned to the Griffon, but to my dismay, I saw that she had taken advantage of my distraction and vanished. "Argh! Burning—cheesecaking damn of...damn-ness!" I swore, kicking a stone.

"Hey, quiet down, buddy." said Vernif, turning friendly all of a sudden. "That rock never did anything to you. DID IT, NIGEL? HUH? DID IT EVER DO ANYTHING TO YOU, BLOCKHEAD? HUH? HUH?"

"I suppose not," I said unhappily, "but that Griffon got away! What if she tries to attack us again?"

"Nah, she won't, you senile old bag." said Vernif confidently. "Not now that she's had a taste of my awesome _skills_."

"Uh, right..." I said.

"Merp." piped up Dixie.

"Look, will you shut up, you stupid peacock!?" Vernif screamed, before adding in more docile tones, "Now listen up, tosspot. You wanna come to my village or what? Your dumb friends might have stumbled over there by now, and since you helped me out here, I might just agree to escort you, if you're lucky."

"Thanks, Vernif," I said, sensing a vague feeling of gratitude embedded somewhere in his offer. "That sounds like a pretty good plan, so yes, I'll come."

"Right," he said, beginning to walk again. "Then follow me this instant, you twit!"

"Coming, coming," I murmured, grudgingly letting Dixie perch on my arm as I trudged along behind him.

* * *

Reskki-Dip-Flick-Hole was a large village that was almost as interesting as its name. For one thing, the Bakugan there didn't live in buildings, but rather clusters of flat roofing constructed from woven leaves and suspended from the taller palms with ropes. No floors or walls were present. For another thing, of the small number of Bakugan who lived there (all of whom were Juggernoids and Terrorclaws), about one in three walked backwards, often bumping into other Bakugan. And then there were the bandannas. All the Bakugan who lived in Reskki-Dip-Flick-Hole wore bright red bandannas like Vernif's.

"Why the bandannas?" I asked bemusedly. "I mean, are you meant to be the _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ or something?"

"What's that supposed to be, dumdum?" asked Vernif. "And have you got any gum-gum?"

"Never mind." I said. "So, who's leader around here anyway?"

"He's that Juggernoid over there and his name's Budgie-Smugglers and he's my dad, you air-head!" shouted Vernif, pointing to a Juggernoid who was making his backward way over to where we were standing. This Juggernoid's bandanna was the most magnificent thing I'd ever seen. It was elegant. Mind-boggling. Ninja-like. And red, too.

"Budgie-Smugglers?" I asked weakly. "Isn't that a kind of very immodest swimwear?"

"What?" cried Vernif, looking at me as though I was insane. "That's stupid! Budgie-Smugglers means 'Noble and Wise Bakugan of the Watery Realm', you idiot!"

At that point, Budgie-Smugglers himself showed up – bumped into me, in fact.

"Merp!" protested Dixie, as she was thrown off my arm.

"Excuse me," said Budgie, turning to face us, "but did that pigeon just say _merp_?"

"Why, yes, it did." I said politely, whilst screaming inwardly with rage.

"How extraordinary!" he exclaimed.

"YOU'RE SO RETARDED, DAD! MERP ISN'T EVEN A WORD!" yelled Vernif.

"Whatever, now go play, son." Budgie replied pompously, making a dismissive gesture before addressing me. "So, Brawler, I sense you are here on a quest of some sort." he said, causing several various Juggernoids and Terrorclaws to look up, completing the dramatic pause.

"I am, but—" I began, but was silenced as Budgie continued speaking.

"Yes, yes, yes." he said testily. "All in good time, but first, tell me your name."

"Phyra." I said wearily. "Phyra Vyander. From Starsector."

"I see," mused Budgie. "Well, perhaps you'd like to dine with the Tenshirak tonight? Oh, _do_, won't you? We've got plenty of nomnoms for all the lovely ladies and gents!" He winked at me.

"Yes, okay," I said, too tired to argue. "But first, can you tell me if you've seen a Pyrus Bakugan, a man like me, or any pigeons besides this one anywhere?" I ended on a pleading note, almost desperate to be in the company of someone besides Dixie and these strange new Bakugan.

Budgie considered for a moment, then said flatly that he hadn't seen any of my associates (I say associates, because except with regard to Nova, _friends_ doesn't really fit the bill where _that_ lot of nutters is concerned). "But do come along to dinner and have some delicious eats? Tuna pudding? Palm salad? Sand and jellyfish ice cream?" he added, eyes misting over.

"Oh, why can't I escape from the evil clutches of creative cuisine wherever I go?" I demanded pathetically of the dimension in general. All Bakugan within a quarter-mile radius suddenly sat up and shrugged.

After dinner, I explained to Budgie the situation I was in, and asked him whether we could get any help from the Aquos Bakugan.

"Well, normally we _would _help," he said carefully, "but the thing is, we're in a bit of an interesting quandary here in Aquos Space. You see, the three clans of Aquos Space—Tenshirak, of the red band, Glifrasas, of the yellow band, and Fyllrisingeth, of the green band—have always been united under one leader, a monarch of sorts, you might say. The next in line for power, then, is the heir to the current monarch, or _Nekinn_. As a point of interest, I might add that the line of _Nekinnii _originated in our very own clan of Tenshirak.

"Now, this system has worked out pretty well for many centuries, but the current problem arose when Balrich, our previous _Nekinn_, died without succession in a nasty accident. Of course, each of the clans proposed that their current leader should be next. Since we couldn't all agree, an enormous feud was started, with each leader campaigning for ultimate leadership. Obviously, I and my brothers think that I, Budgie-Smugglers of the Tenshirak should be the next _Nekinn_, as Cyanic, the original _Nekinn_, came from our clan—but the Glifrasas are bent on having their Shilvire take the position, while the Fyllrisingeth back Khreppe, of their clan.

"This feud has lasted for a good decade, and things are spiralling further and further out of control. Spy organisations have sprung up everywhere, Bakugan are betraying their clans, acts of sabotage have become daily events. It's madness. It's Sparta! And all because those stubborn, pig-headed Glifrasas and Fyllrisingeth Bakugan refuse point-blank to see reason." He ended with a self-righteous snort.

"Riiiight..." I said slowly, refraining from stating my private opinion: that Budgie and the Tenshirak clan were obviously just as bad as the other clans, if not worse, depending on how much he'd been exaggerating. "So, you're basically taking the roundabout way of saying that the Aquos clans aren't able to assist me. So why can't your Tenshirak help, at least? What does it matter if the other clans won't cooperate? After all, little help is better than none, right?"

"Are you _mad_, man?" Budgie exclaimed violently. "If _we_ left Vestroia, what do you think the other clans would do in our absence? No good, that is certain! Why, they'll probably form an alliance and ambush us when we return! No, I won't have that. I'm sorry, but you'll have to go and look for help elsewhere." With that, he pursed his lips primly and retreated swiftly to his private dwellings (which weren't actually that private, seeing as they had no walls)—still walking backwards.

"Merp." said Dixie disconsolately.

"Yup." I said wearily. "It looks as though this mission isn't _ever _going to be as easy as simply asking and receiving a direct _yes_. What a bore."

"No luck, loser?" asked Vernif, strolling over from the small crowd of Bakugan gathered around a roughly hewn wood table where they were engaged in some kind of game.

"No," I growled, not feeling particularly in the mood for being insulted.

"So whatcha gonna do now, then, dip-eater?"

"Ooooohhhhhhh, you take that back, you overgrown tortoise!" I seethed. "I do not now, and never will eat dip!"

"Whoa, calm down, egg-breath!" Vernif replied infuriatingly. "Seriously, it's not cool for a washed-up has-been loser dude like you to scream like a little baby!"

"You scream, too!" I said hotly.

"What's that got to do with the price of butter?" he sniffed. "I'm awesomer than you, parsley-pants, so just deal with it. Anyway, you didn't answer my question, cloth-ears."

"Well, my dear fellow," I said, putting on jam, "I think I shall take a stroll down to one of the other villages and—"

"You what!?" Vernif screeched in shock. "You're even thicker than I thought if you're going to do _that_, and that's saying something!"

"Mmm." I said, unimpressed. "So, which way to the nearest enemy location?"

"Uhh, um..." Vernif hedged, "it's sort of—east, stupid."

"Can I prevail upon you to take me there?" I asked hopefully.

"Well..." He trailed off, not meeting my eye.

"Please?" I added.

"Well, I'll...I'll take you halfway to Peskki-Flick-Dip-Hill, where the Glifrasas clan live. It's only a few islands away from us." he said unhappily, before adding "Jerk." as an afterthought.

"Thanks," I said gratefully, before remembering something important. "Hey, Vernif, do you Tenshirak own any ancient or valuable artefacts or anything like that?" I added.

"Noooo...not that I can think of, buster." Vernif answered thoughtfully, biting his lip.

"Are you sure?" I pressed. "It's very important. You see, I've been to three of the other Attribute worlds already, and in each case, a clan there has had some symbolic item taken from them. We don't know who's doing it, but we've got to try and put a stop to their plan, whoever they are."

"Hey, I said I'm sure, blockhead!" said Vernif indignantly. "And that means I'm _sure._ Got it, you galoot?"

"Right, sorry." I sighed. "So, when can we put this plan of yours into practise?"

Vernif looked behind him apprehensively, as though expecting his father to jump out at him. "I think we should wait until all the others are asleep." he muttered. "Just to be on the safe side. You dig, creep?"

"Fine, I'll wait," I said, while adding silently, _Nova, Kensington, wherever you are, wait for me. I'm coming._

"Merp?" asked Dixie, shuffling on my forearm uncomfortably.

"Yes, you can go eat." I said, surprising myself by laughing a little.

"Did that pigeon just say _merp_?" a random Bakugan called from over near the table.

"Yeah, it did." I replied, restraining myself from face-palming.

"How extraordinary!" said the random.

"No it ain't, rock-face!" yelled Vernif.

"Yes it is! How many pigeons do you know that say _merp_?"

"Only this one, but who cares? Merp isn't even a word! Eve, you are so dumb, ten to one you wouldn't know your arse from your elbow!"

"Yeah? Well, merp is so too a word!"

"No it isn't!"

"Yeah it is!"

"No it isn't!"

"And what is a pigeon, anyway?"

As the argument raged on, more and more Bakugan joining in, I could no longer suppress the urgent need to face-palm, and so I did.

Later that night, Vernif and I left Reskki-Dip-Flick-Hole and headed east, towards Peskki-Flick-Dip-Hill. We didn't bother stopping for rest, and so we reached the halfway point by midnight. It was a small island with exactly one palm tree on it, and nothing else except for a solitary boulder, looking rather lonely all by itself with the moonlight shining on it.

"This is where I turn back." whispered Vernif. "It wouldn't do for me to be caught near Glifrasas territory. See ya, poltroon-pantaloons." With that, he left abruptly, swimming over to the island we'd left a while ago with natural ease.

"Goodbye, and thanks!" I called back softly. He glanced behind him one last time, nodded and then vanished, diving beneath the surface. I, having nothing better to do, turned and went over the instructions he'd given me: straight ahead through the sea until I found three tiny islands in a row, then left, through a large forest of water lilies, until I came to a vast, rocky island with five enormous obelisks at the peak of the large hill at its centre.

Before I left, I wandered idly over to the boulder, and noticed some markings there which looked strangely familiar. Squinting in the semi-darkness, I tried to make sense of them, almost fancying I saw a rough diagram and what looked like some kind of paragraph of writing. I wasn't one hundred percent sure, but some of it looked awfully similar to the writing we'd seen back in Subterra Space. I wondered if this was perhaps a copy of the weird poem we'd puzzled over, but sadly Rox wasn't here to help me read it.

Feeling rather depressed all of a sudden, I turned, ran and waded into the freezing cold water. Disregarding the pain of my earlier injuries, I began swimming as hard as I could, with Dixie flying silently (for a change) overhead. Nova, Kensington and maybe the rest of the pigeons could be counting on me.

* * *

Peskki-Flick-Dip-Hill was a large place, and just as crazy as Reskki-Dip-Flick-Hole, if not more so.

After a tedious bout of night-time swimming, I'd emerged on the shores of the island with the obelisks, and had been immediately struck by the awe-inspiring sight of a grove of trees. Of course, there were no ordinary trees. They were red and covered in oddly-shaped berries, which moved when you stared at them, as though they felt self-conscious and were uncomfortable with random strangers looking at them.

I was next amazed by the sheer size of the five tremendous obelisks, stretching into the sky as though they were trying to prove something to the world. Just what they thought they could prove, not even having brains to think with, I'm not certain. After around twenty minutes of journeying though the strange trees, clambering over clusters of boulders, and climbing for a little way up a smallish cliff that stood between me and my goal, I finally reached the obelisks, and found Peskki-Flick-Dip-Hill to lie just beyond them.

As far as I could see, this village, like Reskki-Dip-Flick-Hole, had some rather interesting buildings. These ones had neither floors nor roofs, but only walls. It was then that I wondered whether all Aquos Bakugan were incapable of comprehending the fundamental principles of architecture involved with building houses, or if it was just these two clans.

From where I was standing, on a peak overlooking the village, I could just make out the tiny forms of Bakugan moving about in the mass of paths and walkways below. I wasn't quite able to see what kind of Bakugan there were, but I was fairly certain of one thing: a large number of them walked sideways. I then started my descent towards the village, but before I had got far enough to see anything further, I found my way barred by a pair of Aquos Robotallion. Both of these wore gold bandannas and brandished spears of a kind I'd never seen Bakugan possess before.

"Halt, outsider!" commanded the first. "What is your name and business in these parts?"

"Don't mind him," grinned the second. "He just got promoted today, so he's feeling all—"

"Silence, riff-raff!" roared the first. "Or I'll report you to Shilvire, you mangy cur!"

"Right, sorry." mumbled the second, shuffling his feet.

The first one smirked, then continued. "Well, puny life form? What do you answer?" he demanded, banging the butt end of his spear into the ground impatiently.

"Oh, Fate help us all," I muttered, before flashing a charming-but-annoying smile and replying with as much false innocence as was within my power at that particular point in time, "the name's Phyra, but feel free to call me Lenny. I'm from an alternate dimension (surprise, surprise) and I'm here to enquire about a Pyrus Bakugan—who survived the Hydranoid War miraculously, don't ask how—a sad, strange little man whom you should pity, and a flock of extraordinary pigeons. Have you seen them?"

"Uh..." said the first Robotallion, blinking in confusion. "I, er dunno. Hey, dude—" He turned to his counterpart. "—have we any of the requested carbon-based sentients in custody at the mo?"

"Nah, dude," shrugged the second.

"Oh, thanks." I said blandly. "I'll just—"

"Hey, wait, dude," said the second Robotallion suddenly. "I've just remembered – we _did _pick up a Pyrus Bakugan about, uh...three days ago."

"So why didn't you say so before, dunderhead?" screeched the first. "My blooming _job _could be on the line now!"

"While that would be the best thing that's ever happened to the Glifrasas, I really don't think you need to worry about it, dude." yawned the second.

"Excuse me, but can you tell me where the Pyrus Bakugan is?" I persisted.

"Oh yeah, sure, dude, over there," replied the second, pointing casually over to a huge lake that lay far off to the left behind a low range of foothills, almost out of sight. In the middle of that lake I could, if I focused for a moment, make out a large rock. It rested no doubt on the ground at the bottom, nearly submerged beneath the dark water. But that wasn't what made me gasp in shock. It was what was chained to that rock, struggling feebly, that struck me: a limp, semi-conscious Nova!

"What have you done to him, you psychopathic and unskillful fellows?!" I screamed wildly. "Leave him alone! I've, um—" I racked my brain for something heroic to say. "—got to go and, uh, RESCUE HIM!" So saying, I made a bolt for the lake, running as fast as my legs would carry me. Before I had got further than a few metres, however, I found my way barred by one of the Robotallion's spears. "What's the big idea?" I demanded indignantly, trying without success to get past.

"Sorry, chum," snickered the second Robotallion, who incidentally was the one blocking me. "No one gets through here without Shilvire's permission. House rules."

"House rules be damned!" I said hotly. "I'm not about to stand here while my friend is in trouble out there!"

"Too bad, sucker. Hur, hur, hur." grinned the first Robotallion, giving a nasal, derogatory laugh. "You'll never be able to rescue your little friend, anyway."

"That so?" I retorted, getting a sudden idea. "We'll see." I gazed smugly into the distance, savouring the moment until the two Robotallion turned away, obviously bored. Then I surreptitiously pulled a Gate Card out of my pocket, and grinned to myself as I turned aside and eyed the distance. "If this little ploy works, I'll kill two birds with one stone." I muttered, slipping the card into my BakuPod.

"Merpitty-merpy-merp merp merp!?" squawked Dixie, apparently horrified by that last little turn of phrase.

"Oi," said the first Robotallion as he and his counterpart both swung around suddenly to face me. "Did that blasted pigeon just say _merp_ several times with the occasional addition of various suffixes?"

"Oh, not this again," I moaned weakly, slumping where I stood as the first Robotallion answered its own question with, "Yes, I suppose it did. How extraordinary!"

"No it isn't." objected the second.

"Yes it is!" snapped the first.

"No it isn't!"

"Yes it is!"

"NO IT BLOODY-WELL ISN'T!"

"YES, IT BLOODY-WELL IS! HOW MANY PIGEONS HAVE YOU HEARD SAY _MERP_!?"

"BUT IT'S NOT EVEN A DAMN WORD! AND WHAT IS A PIGEON, ANYWAY!?"

"**OH, FOR CRYING IN A BUCKET,**" I screeched. "**PUT A SOCK IN IT, BOTH OF YOU!** **GATE CARD—SET!**" A small grey card burst forth from the end of my BakuPod, glowing red as it flew far off to the side. It eventually landed near the lake, growing to tremendous proportions, and then fading into the landscape (_That's interesting, _I thought. _The Gate Cards react differently in this dimension_). Then, as both Bakugan continued to scream at each other, I raised my hand and yelled out, hoping my plan would work.

"Gate Card—Open!" I cried. "Void Pull!" Sure enough, the ground where the Gate had landed flashed brightly, giving off the impression that the sandy earth was splitting to pieces. Then suddenly, the two Robotallion gave a combined shriek as the Gate started pulling them onto it, while far off in the middle of the lake, the same thing happened to Nova. After a few moments, all three Bakugan were on the Gate, and I was ready to put the next stage of my plan into action. First, however, I had to revive Nova, who was by now completely unconscious. The energy drain from the Gate Card wasn't really helping matters, either.

"Nova!" I called, running over to his side. "Can you hear me? NOVA!" No response. "Alright, we'll try this, then." I muttered, loading another card into my BakuPod. "Ability card—Activate! Restore Balance!" A white light shone down from above and caused all three Bakugan to glow fiercely, restoring the energy they had lost. Nova stirred weakly and his eyelids fluttered open.

"Phyra?" he murmured, turning to look in my direction. "Is that you? Oh, thank Eve, I was having such a horrible nightmare..."

"It's okay now, mate." I said. "You'll be back in shape in no time."

"Er, I hate to interrupt," one of the Robotallion ventured, "but what the hell is supposed to happen now?"

"Well," I said reasonably, "I'm willing to bet that since neither of you two have evolved yet, you're probably weaker than Nova here, even with your Power Levels put together. Now, since the card I just used restores all Power Levels to their base amount, I'd say you've got two options, one being decidedly more sensible than the other. You can let us pass, or you can fight us. I'll leave you to figure out which is the better option."

The two Robotallion looked at each other for a split second, then turned back to face us and said simultaneously, "We're gonna fight you!"

"Life is never easy, is it?" I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Nope," said Nova, getting up. "Now hop on, pally, and let's show these amateurs how it's done."

"With pleasure, and are you off with the faeries or something?" I asked, climbing up and readying another card. "You sound—very odd. Odder than Kensington, I dare say."

"Problem, brah?" retorted Nova, giving a disturbing and troll-like grin.

"Um, no, I suppose not," I said doubtfully, before adding, "Ability—Activate! Fiery Void!" Energy was transferred from the Robotallion to Nova. Nova gave a great roar and blasted the cheesecake out of his opponents. Literally. "You know, I'd never have sussed that Bakugan liked cheesecake. What about you?" I said conversationally as we took off, leaving the two groaning Robotallion lying in the dust and melted cheese behind us.

"There's an awful tip-load you don't comprehend about us Bakugan, Phyra. You dig?" Nova said mysteriously. "Now, suppose you inform me all about what you've been up to while I've been holed up here. Sound wonderbubble?"

"Nova, I think that water must have addled your brain somewhat." I said, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Wouldn't surprise me, brah," replied Nova, doing the troll-like grin again. "Now git the story moving onwards and upwards."

"Oh dear..." I said, thinking of Vernif, Budgie-Smugglers and Reskki-Dip-Flick-Hole. "Where do I start?"

* * *

Eventually, I finished telling Nova about what had been going on for me in the last couple of days. He then told me his side of the story: he'd been washed up on the shores of the island near Peskki-Flick-Dip-Hill, found by a couple of Bakugan, taken before Shilvire, deemed to be some kind of impostor Bakugan, and tied up in the middle of the lake while Shilvire decided what to do about him. "Obviously, I wasn't in any condition to escape, what with being half-drowned and all from that storm," said Nova, shivering at the memory.

_At least he seems to have recovered from that stupid phrasing phase of his. _I thought morosely. "So, who _is_ this Shilvire, anyway?" I asked at last.

Nova looked rather uncomfortable. "I think it would be best if you didn't meet him." he said flatly. "In fact, we should leave this island as soon as we possibly can."

"Are you joking?" I gasped incredulously. "Kensington and the pigeons might be around here somewhere! And we need to try and get Shilvire's clan to help us out! _And _we need to see if they've got any valuable items that need protecting. What's so bad about Shilvire, anyway? He's just a Bakugan, right?"

"Well," said Nova reluctantly, "you could say that, but..."

"But what?" I pressed impatiently.

Nova didn't answer. He was looking behind me. "Oh, damn. Never mind," he said dully. "Here he comes, now."

I looked in the direction Nova was pointing and saw, to my concern, that an angry mob of Aquos Bakugan—mostly Robotallion and Preyas—seemed to be coming our way. "So, which one's Shilvire?" I muttered, not taking my eyes off the crowd of Bakugan.

"The one in the centre." replied Nova heavily. I soon saw which Bakugan he meant, and experienced a funny feeling inside that I was certain I'd never felt before. I was looking at an Aquos Siege.


	18. Chapter Seventeen: Bones

**Chapter Seventeen – Bones**

"So," said Shilvire, looking sternly at me, Nova and Dixie. _"So."_

The impending riot had been quelled before it had begun, and we'd been escorted to Shilvire's quarters, where I'd informed him of our general situation.

"So what?" Nova ventured impatiently. Under normal circumstances, I would have tried to shut him up. Right now, though, I wasn't listening. I was too engrossed in old memories.

"_Do you want to know what this is, Vyander?"_

"_No, don't! SIEGE!"_

"_PHYRA—"_

"Shut yer trap!" barked Shilvire, scattering my thoughts with a single stroke of his fiery sword—er, tongue.

"Whatever, you poncybastard." muttered Nova.

"I _heard _that!" screamed Shilvire. "Now _back _off, you fiendish impostor, or I'll report you to Shilvire!"

"How does that even _work?_" murmured a random bystander.

"It's anyone's guess, you bloody idiot!" chirped Dixie.

"Did that freaking pigeon just say something other than _merp_!?" I shrilled, snapping right out of my self-inflicted coma.

"Yeah, so what of it, toaster boy?" retorted Shilvire testily, flipping the ends of his huge golden bandanna airily over his shoulder.

"How absosnaply spenavelously spiffingly hootingberrily vroopingly _marvellous_!" I gushed.

"Wait, don't you mean _extraordinary_?" objected Nova.

"No way, cheese-eater." I said contemptuously. "I am _sooooo _sick of that stupid word."

Suddenly and without warning, Nova burst into tears. "Fine, but you didn't have to call me a _cheese-eater!_" he sobbed, sitting down on the ground and bawling his eyes out.

"Nova, what is _up_ with you?" I shrieked, jumping out of the way lest his boiling hot tears get all over my uniform and stain it.

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, I've had a bloody stressful time over here, you unsympathetic git!" snapped Nova, wiping his eyes. "And it's all thanks to _this _puffed-up toff who thinks he's so bloody righteous and is too much of a nob to believe that I'm a real flamin' Pyrus Bakugan! (No pun intended.)"

"Cheesecakes, calm down!" I exclaimed, jumping back and raising my hands in protest. "But on a more serious note," I added, turning to Shilvire, "you didn't have to go and tie up my friend in the middle of a _lake_. I mean, what _are _you, some sort of old meanie who's too high and mighty for a bit of respect, compassion and general peace-loving? Is that so much to ask?"

"_Is that so much to ask?_" Shilvire repeated mockingly. "I have a question for _you_, actually. Are you some kind of greenie, environmentalist, tree-hugging hippie who's all _'Am I led to believe, my brothers and sisters under the moon...'_ and who tries to get everyone to love each other and—and who _hugs trees?_"

"What?" I replied, not really hearing what he was saying as I adjusted my dark sunglasses and shifted my dreadlocks out of my eyes. I looked around. No one was speaking. Everyone was staring at me. "What?" I repeated irritably.

"Since when..." said Nova.

"...did you grow..." said Shilvire.

"...fruitlooping..." said the floor (which seemed to have changed slightly, probably due to a space rift).

"DREADLOCKS!?" screamed everyone.

"Problem?" I asked, imitating Nova's troll-like grin and removing the wig I'd put on several seconds ago while no one was looking.

"Um. Moving on, I think." said Shilvire in a small voice.

"Will you let us go about our business, you glutinous fishwife!?" yelled Nova.

"Hmm," Shilvire replied smugly, "let me think about that one for a minute... No."

"So, just what is the _point_ of this little meeting, then, anyway?" I asked irritably.

"It makes me look awesome, _duh_." Shilvire stated emphatically, striking a pose. "What do you say to that?"

"That has got to be the stupidest pose I have _ever_ seen." I yawned.

"WHADDAYAMEANTHAT'STHESTUPIDESTPOSEYOU'VEEVERSEENT HAT'STHEFREAKINGAWESOMESTPOSEYOU'VEEVERSEENYOUUNDE RAPPRECIATIVEBASTARDFROOTLOOP—" squealed Shilvire, actually dancing with anger.

"Yes, we could all do without the tizzy fit, mister." I interrupted, minutely inspecting my fingernails and polishing them on my coat ("Mate, that looks nowhere near as cool as you think it does." Nova murmured obligingly). "Just tell us exactly what you hold against us, and what you want from us."

"Well," Shilvire fumed, "as to what grudge I bear you, first of all, I don't believe that so-called Pyrus Bakugan is a real Bakugan. Second of all, you tell me you've been to Reskki-Dip-Flick-Hole, which means you've been consorting with the enemy. Thirdly, you say we need to guard any artefacts we have lying around. I have a feeling you're holding back, and therefore you cannot be trusted—"

"You said you didn't have any valuable items anyway." I butted in with a gentle reminder.

"Oh, right," Shilvire mumbled, before continuing. "Fourth, you're a Smart Alec, and finally..." He broke off to glare meaningfully at us. "Finally, you have the audacity to come and ask me to aid you in your dumb old war—"

"It is _not _dumb!" I squawked in protest.

"_All_ wars are dumb, you patriotic cretin,"Shilvire continued severely, "but yours is _particularly_ dumb because I said so. Anyhow, you want me to give you a hand with your dumb old war when you know perfectly well how bad things are in Aquos Space. You've done nothing to earn my trust or respect—"

"Same goes for you, mate," I muttered.

"And _furthermore_," said Shilvire loudly, ignoring me, "you've attacked two of my soldiers! _That's_ what I have against you."

"Oh, get your hand off it, man!" I said exasperatedly. "I was just trying to rescue my friend, who _you _chained up! Besides, think of your Aquos fellows, serving unwillingly under my enemies, taking Fate only knows what kind of abuse!"

"Pooh," Shilvire sniffed dismissively, "they were from the enemy clans, without a doubt."

"They're still your family!" I yelled.

"Please, stop with this mindless pathos," Shilvire said in disgust. "_Family_ indeed. You're as soft as those bloody Tenshirak Bakugan, if not more." He turned away, motioning imperiously for us to leave the room. I decided sadly to admit defeat, and, shoulders slumping, walked dejectedly out of the door. Nova followed slowly and Dixie sat on my head. I didn't even have the heart to remove her from my immaculate hairdo.

I hadn't taken more than three steps down the hall, however, when I heard Nova whirl around behind me, suddenly, and address Shilvire angrily.

"You're a disgrace to the name of Siege!" he yelled. Startled, I turned back to see him fly over to the astonished Shilvire and poke him hard in the chest. "You call yourself a Bakugan? You're not fit for the _Doom Dimension_, you sick _vrilp-singgat'lktch! _My friend over there has risked his own safety to get here so he could ask your assistance on behalf of his people and yours, and yet you, cowardly _nlip-snichet _that you are, refuse to help! Well, the Siege I might have known wouldn't have behaved this way. He was murdered before he could live up to his true potential, but if ever he had found himself in a position like this, he'd never have denied his friends help! D'you hear me, _snkint_head? Never! You dishonour his name, and the names of all the other Sieges before you! Now, I'll show you just how real a Pyrus I am: **BLAZING DRAGONIA!**"

With that last parting shot, Nova reared up and blasted the screaming Shilvire with a hail of flaming projectiles. When he'd finished, and the howling had died down (mostly), Nova turned loftily back to me, and, sniffing in a highly refined sort of fashion, said, "C'mon, male-type Staryanoid of my acquaintance. Let's dump this tulip parade." I was too stunned even to remind him that he was talking rubbish again. Instead, I plodded dazedly after him as we started to make tracks. No sooner had we done so, though, when to my surprise, Shilvire called out after us.

"Wait!" he cried weakly.

"What do you want?" I returned coldly.

"I—I—" He trailed off, fighting for breath as he heaved his charred body up off the dirt. "It's—"

"Spit it out, brah," said Nova impatiently. "We ain't got all day, y'know."

"I— You're right," he said, coughing. "I want...to help."

I turned slowly around to look at him. "What?" I said uncertainly.

"I want to help." he repeated, louder this time. "You were right." He looked Nova directly in the eye. "I'm sorry I—I doubted you." He made a deferential gesture. "You are indeed a true Pyrus Bakugan. I wish to fight for you, and call you my brother." He sank down on one knee, coughing again.

"Um," said Nova, blushing slightly. "Thanks, I suppose."

"Hey," I said, breaking into a warm smile, "thank you for helping us. I hope that all is forgiven now." I addressed that last part to Nova.

"Yes, well." he said stiffly. "You know, I'm still not happy about being shoved out onto that rock, but..." He glanced at the still-kneeling Shilvire. "Oh, get up. Please, how can I be aloof when you're grovelling before me like that?" He helped Shilvire stand up, then said, more pleasantly than before, "We appreciate the support...brother."

Shilvire smiled. "I am honoured to be able to fight with you." he said.

"Merp." said Dixie.

"Did that pigeon just say _merp_?" wondered Shilvire, pointing at Dixie. I didn't make any attempt to reply, but face-palmed instead.

* * *

After general celebrating and many huzzahs, hip hip hoorays and the like, Nova and I left Peskki-Flick-Dip-Hill and travelled north, bound for Meskki-Dip-Dip-Flick-Hall: dwelling place of the Fyllrisingeth clan. There we hoped to find Kensington, the other pigeons, and perhaps some more recruits for our war against the Sektarii.

While we flew through the air, like so many sausages being shot from a cannon, I found myself thinking yet again of Siege, and what it might have been like if he had still been with us... Then my thoughts went to Nova, and that speech he'd made (or shouted, if you prefer). It was now abundantly clear to me that Nova really cared, even if we'd had our disagreements, and while Nova wasn't Siege, he was still every bit as loyal a guardian as I could have ever wished for. Something inside of me said that had Siege been present, he would have been happy to be friends with Nova, and Nova would have returned his friendship. Perhaps I hadn't lost quite so much as I'd thought, after all.

* * *

Meskki-Dip-Dip-Flick-Hall was in all probability the strangest place I had seen yet. _This _village was comprised of buildings that didn't have walls or rooftops—only floors! The Fyllrisingeth clan were mostly Griffons, Limulii and a couple of Sirenoids, all clad in green bandannas, and would you believe it, around half of them actually managed to walk about upside-down!

"You know," I said thoughtfully to Nova as we entered the village gates, "it's strange that I didn't really notice it before, but we haven't seen many variant Bakugan during our travels through Vestroia."

"Variant Bakugan?" Nova echoed blankly.

"You know, sub-species Bakugan," I explained, "like Cybertallion is a variant of Robotallion, and Horrorclaw is a variant of Terrorclaw."

"Ah," said Nova, comprehending. "That, then, is because variants aren't actually a sub-species. In fact, they're more like a mutated form. Since Bakugan are native to Vestroia, variant births are quite a rare event. However, as Bakugan are alien to your dimension, our particle structure changes, and such mutations quite often happen during this process—hence, variant Bakugan are far more common in Starsector than they are here. Do you see?"

"Of course!" I exclaimed, wondering how I could not have figured that out before. "Quite interesting, these little natural quirks, aren't they? And I suppose the reason there aren't many evolved Bakugan around here is because you lot don't tend to fight each other much. Am I correct?"

"Spot on." Nova affirmed.

"Merp." interjected Dixie.

Suddenly, a cry arose from a nearby flowerbed, and who should jump out of it, but... "Dixie! Oh, _Dixie_, I have missed you so!" Kensington burbled joyfully, knocking me over in his haste to get at Dixie.

"Merpy-merp!" Dixie twittered happily, settling on Kensington's shoulder. A chorus of _derp_'s, _herp_'s, _settle, petal_'s, _and he scores_'s and _neverluvvaduckkagain_'s then arose as Sausage, Spot, Alfred, Pumpkin and Paschal flew out of a random bystander's bandanna and started dive-bombing Kensington and Dixie, pelting them with small shards of glass in some perverse sort of greeting.

"What ho, old boy!" grinned Kensington, addressing me as he wiped a trickle of blood off his face from where some of the glass had cut him. "How's everything going for you on this fine day?"

"Er...not bad, I suppose?" I said nervously, one eyelid twitching.

"Jolly good show!" he beamed. "Now, what say we go and attend the execution, eh?"

"_Execution_?" I screeched wildly. "Whaddaya mean, _execution_!?"

"Couple of spies have been caught by Khreppe's men," said Kensington cheerfully. "They're scheduled for execution. Oh, and I don't suppose you've caught the scoundrel who followed us here from Darkus Space, did you?" He looked narrowly at me, glancing from side to side and raising his eyebrows so that all in all he looked completely demented.

"No, and why on Starsector would we want to attend an _execution _of all things?" I queried incredulously.

"Because..." said Kensington slowly, putting on an extremely impish look. "There will be...loads of blood."

"So?" I asked weakly.

"Blood makes me happy." said Kensington, smiling evilly. Suddenly I was about three times as scared of him as I had been before.

"There is something utterly wrong with you," I said darkly, "and I don't think I want to find out what it is. Come on, Nova, let's go." I nodded to my guardian, who was reclining against a tree and picking his teeth with a frozen halibut which he had acquired I know not how.

"Brilliant idea, but where do we go?" he pointed out.

"To see if we can stop this execution." I replied firmly.

"Wonderbubble, and just how do we do that?"

"No idea."

"Whoopee." he said unenthusiastically.

* * *

After getting lost twice in the maze of trenches and tunnels that apparently served as roads in Meskki-Dip-Dip-Flick-Hall, Nova and I, closely followed by Kensington and the ever-extraordinary pigeons, found our way into the village square, where we came upon a large crowd of Fyllrisingeth Bakugan gathered around a large platform—miraculously built out of sand, don't ask how—atop which stood three solemn-faced Bakugan: an Aquos Preyas and an Aquos Griffon, both bandannaless and bound in chains, and a huge Aquos frog-like Bakugan, wearing a green bandanna of such huge proportions that I theorised at once that he must be Khreppe, the leader of the Fyllrisingeth clan.

"I've never seen a Bakugan like that before," I muttered to Nova. "Do you recognise him?"

"I reckon so," breathed Nova. "Unless I miss my guess, that's an Aquare Farasque, descended from Frosch."

At that point, Khreppe began to speak. "HOW NOW, POLKA-DOTTED COW!" he roared, addressing the Preyas and Griffon. "YOU, PREYAS, OF THE GLIFRASAS CLAN, HAVE BEEN CONVICTED OF SPYING ON MY PRIVATE AFFAIRS. AND YOU, GRIFFON, OF OUR VERY OWN CLAN OF FYLLRISINGETH, YOU HAVE BEEN FOUND GUILTY OF HIGH TREASON TO ME, KHREPPE—YOUR LEADER! AS YOU HAVE BOTH BEEN _EXCEEDINGLY_ NAUGHTY, I HAVE SENTENCED YOU BOTH TO _DEATH_. DO EITHER OF YOU HAVE ANY LAST WORDS?"

The two Bakugan turned pallid, but didn't say anything. "VERY WELL," boomed Khreppe. "EXECUTIONER! TO THE READY!" A heavily-built Griffon bearing a huge axe ascended the platform, raising his weapon as he did so. I decided that now was a sufficiently dramatic point to make my entrance.

"Stop this madness!" I screeched—or _would _have screeched if my voice hadn't suddenly gone dry, leaving me poised in a ridiculous sort of half-pose. I gazed, horror-struck at the platform, realising that no one had heard, and the executioner Griffon had just swiped viciously at the head of the chained Griffon...

At that second, several things happened. Firstly, Nova leapt into the air with an agonised cry, and belched a jet of flames at the executioner. Secondly, the Preyas gave a shriek and thrust a length of chain into the path of the axe, even as its victim ducked out of the way. Thirdly, Kensington bounded onto the platform with a cry of "BLOOD!", bowling Khreppe over. Finally, as I lost my balance and fell over, I felt someone grab me by the back of my collar, lifting me into the air and growling, "'Ere! What in the blazes of Pyrus Space are you doing here?"

Then everything kind of mishmashed together. Nova's fire seared the executioner, who gave a scream and flailed wildly, axe going off course—missing the chains that were meant to block it, and embedding itself deeply in the screaming Preyas' chest. Then, Khreppe tripped over the still-ducking Griffon captive and tumbled off the platform, crushing a nearby bucket of pansies. At this, the enraged crowd surrounded Nova, Kensington and the two prisoner Bakugan, setting upon the unfortunate four with tooth, nail, high-powered energy blasts—and worse, hugs.

The Preyas gave a weak cry as a savage blow from the staff of a Sirenoid ended its life, while the snarling Griffon traitor locked in combat with the singed executioner Griffon. Nova was engaged in fighting off a swarm of Limulii, who had all but torn one of his wings to shreds, and Kensington, who had been brutally clubbed in the head by a furious Khreppe, was lying unconscious in the bushes. The pigeons were fluttering overhead, of course, not making anything any better.

All this while, I was unable to help as I struggled with my captor—who turned out to be a tree. How does one even begin to figure _that_ one out? My theory is that Aquos Space was naturally a very fertile sort of place – so much so that trees apparently sprung up out of nowhere in just seconds. And some even talked. I managed to get free after a moment, and, making my way to Nova, cried, "This is complete chaos, Nova! We've got to get this situation under control!"

"You don't say?" Nova yelled in reply, tossing a Limulus into the air with a flick of his tail, before parrying a blow from a Sirenoid with his knives. Quickly, I loaded up my blaster, checked that it was set to stun, and shot out a clearing around Nova. This gave him room to hoist me up, spread his crippled wings and awkwardly take to the air, where he then scooped up Kensington and the near-dead Griffon, who was still tangled in its chains, and flew off to higher ground.

* * *

"Well," I said sombrely, when we'd collapsed on the peak of a tall hill overlooking the village. "That was a complete disaster."

"Too right, mate," an exhausted Nova replied, wincing as he furled his wings again and gazed down at the Fyllrisingeth Bakugan, who had regrouped and were now making their way up to join us, yelling and brandishing all manner of sharp and potentially life-threatening weaponry. "And I think it's about to get a whole lot worse."

It was a dark time. Certain death was close at hand, and yet, I was still undaunted, at least to the point where I couldn't resist making a stab at humour, even at a time like this.

"You don't say?" I mimicked his earlier shout, and burst into a hysterical fit of laughter.

* * *

"Phyra!" said Nova, aghast. "They've got a bloody great nuclear _missile_ out there!"

"WHAT?" I screamed, darting over to take a look. Sure enough, the horde of Bakugan were carrying a large, oblong box, made of metal. On the side of this was printed in white bubble letters, 'CAUTION – YE OLDE NUCLEAR MISSILE INSIDE – TRADEMARK OF ACME CORP. KEEP OUT OF CHILDREN.'

"Somebody has a strange mind." I muttered, peering through my binoculars.

"Yeah, like you." Nova pointed out. I glared at him

We had barricaded ourselves into the top of the hill, and kept the hostiles at bay for the past few days, while Nova and our Griffon friend recovered from the fight, and Kensington remained unconscious—a mixed blessing if ever I saw one. It was pretty darn boring, just sitting there in that cramped little makeshift encampment, fighting off the same old crowd every few hours... But we all have to make sacrifices, and at least I got to show off my aptitude on the battlefield. And for that matter, using those Microgan still had its novelty value.

On that morning, however, it looked as if there would be no more showing off of aptitude or Microgan, maybe no more anything. What I really wanted to know was how in the name of poppycock these Bakugan had got hold of a flaming _missile_ of all things. I decided to find out.

"Hi! Khreppe!" I bellowed. "Can we have a peaceable talk, perchance?"

"Absolutely no flamin' way that is going to happen, ya mug!" he hollered back.

"What if I offer you some monetary compensation?" I yelled, waving a handful of chocolate coins that Shilvire had given us over my head by way of explanation.

A pause boldly inserted itself once again before Khreppe answered. "I'll—I'll think about it!" he screamed, somehow managing to sound thoughtful as he did so.

"You'll consider my offer?" I shouted, just to verify, you understand—definitely not because I hadn't heard him because Nova was berating me in a hushed voice for giving away all our chocolate.

"What do you think I said, dumbcluck?" he roared.

"I'm sorry, I thought you said _I'll sink a twit_, because Nova here was berating me for—" Whoops, looks like the cat's out of the bag. "—giving away all our chocolate!" I called back. About three minutes later (Nova said it was two, but he didn't have a watch so yah and boo to him), Khreppe puffed his way up to the hilltop. I handed him the chocolate, and then posed my question to him. "How in the name of poppycock did you get hold of a flaming _missile _of all things?" I asked with the kind of exasperated mystification that normally only thwarted overlords use.

"It's a secret." Khreppe grinned smugly.

"Hey, I didn't give you chocolate for nothing, mate." I reminded him sternly. "Tell me or else I'll take it back again."

"That's flipping _blackmail_, you serpentine bastard!" he spat, clutching the chocolate as though his life depended on it (and by the size of him, it probably _did_).

"I know. I'm so clever, am I not?" I simpered, putting on an aristocratic air.

"No." growled Khreppe.

"Gimme back the chocolate then, pop-tart." I snapped, holding out my hand.

He seemed to waver for a minute, then muttered reluctantly, "Alright, I'll tell you. We found this company called Acme, a nice young coyote told us about it. Turns out they sell nuclear missiles at a bargain price." He brightened visibly at the memory.

I rolled my eyes, saying, "And just what are you going to do with this missile, anyway?"

Khreppe's reply was instant, as though he'd been rehearsing. "Blow you up." he stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh. Charmed, I'm sure." I said sarcastically. "Very nice of you. I'm honoured. Thrilled. Absosnaply spiffing. Just utterly marvell—"

"Alright, I comprehend your gratification," said Khreppe hastily. "Can we move things along?"

"Well, it's just that my friends and I don't want to be blown up, you see." I said apologetically. "I'm sorry if that inconveniences you at all, but you know how it is—"

"I'm convinced of the truth of your statement," said Khreppe amiably, cutting me off neatly, "but I'm not altogether pleased with your conduct here so far, and so I really do think it would be best for all involved if we blew you up. No offence, of course."

"None taken," I said easily. "And there would be even less taken if we could just be allowed to leave the island and not return, you know, without the blowing up."

"Now look," said Khreppe, losing his patience at last, "we've already wasted enough time dillydallying here. I'm going to blow you up, and that is final. All expenses for the cost of the missile and such may be waived depending on our present financial situation, or else be deducted from your employer's income tax return, but really, we must get on with the massacring."

"I have an idea!" I said excitedly. "You let us go, and we'll help you resolve the situation in Aquos Space! No more wars and espionage. What say you to that, good sir?"

Khreppe considered for a moment, then shook his head, saying flatly, "I'm sorry, but I cannot find it in me to believe that you are capable of—"

"My dear fellow," I interrupted gaily, sounding just like Kensington for a moment, "my companion and I have already given aid to the Bakugan of Subterra, Haos and Darkus Space! I hardly think a simple matter of politics will provide much of a challenge after all we've faced."

"Well..." said Khreppe uncertainly, seemingly swayed a little by my argument.

"I'll even throw in another assortment of chocolates!" I quibbled. "_Prosperity to the peaceable_ as it were, not that that is even a proverb or anything."

Khreppe suddenly broke into a wide smile that quite transfigured his unseemly features—which is to say that he looked like less of a frog and more of a toad. "I'd be a fool to refuse." he chuckled. "As it happens, this chocolate has a rather rare property which allows me to live forever!"

"Really?" I gaped, stunned at the potential magnitude of what I was unwittingly throwing away.

"Well, no, not really." he admitted. "I just love it so, so much."

* * *

After that, time seemed to fly by so fast that the following events moulded together in my memory, and I couldn't recall the details to save my life. However, to put things simply, I kept my promise. Nova and I were welcomed (for the most part, anyway) into Meskki-Dip-Dip-Flick-Hall, where the various wounds of our party were seen to, and plenty of chocolate was consumed by all. When we'd all fully recovered, I made a point of talking to Khreppe about the reason we'd come to Aquos Space. He promised to help us on the condition that the turmoil in Aquos Space were first calmed.

When I checked with him about artefacts, he gestured to the crown of ice he wore, and said, "The foremost point of ice on my crown is probably fit for such a category. Note the runes etched into the side of it – some of them are worn down to nothing, but as near as I can see, they read, in the ancient Forshorian tongue, _'and the...spike, containing...storm, completes...' _

"I cannot figure out what this means, but this icicle was found in an ancient shrine in the unpopulated southern regions of Aquos Space, preserved in a pillar of frost. As near as Xim Tirrios, our clan leader at the time could figure, the icicle was something belonging to a Bakugan of Frosch's line. Its properties, if indeed it has any, were never discovered, but it was set into this crown, the symbol of the Fyllrisingeth."

"Well, be sure and keep it safe." I advised.

He nodded. "I will."

The conversation was soon over, and we then departed for Reskki-Dip-Flick-Hole, to try once again to reason with Budgie-Smugglers. It took a lot of heated debating, but eventually he came around to our point of view. The interclan warring was brought to a halt, the spy organisations disbanded, and a peaceful standstill acquired for all the Aquos Bakugan. However, there was still little love lost between the three clans, and we now had to address the problem of choosing the next _Nekinn_ before us. Even after several days of thinking, I was nowhere further along with figuring out a solution than I'd been from the very start of this movement.

When I asked the three clan leaders, they were all eager to present their ideas, but none of these ideas seemed quite the thing.

Shilvire suggested a free-for-all battle between the leaders, but I didn't think that would really help amend the hostile relationships between the clans.

Budgie-Smugglers proposed an election, but I already knew first-hand how reliable politics were, and besides, each clan had the same number of Bakugan, so that even if one Bakugan miraculously decided to vote for a leader _not _of its own clan, two-thirds of the Bakugan would still be against the resultant _Nekinn_, which could lead to a future rebellion.

Khreppe reckoned that he, Shilvire and Budgie-Smugglers should just form a joint-leadership, or committee of sorts, which actually seemed like a sensible proposal—but when I asked Shilvire and Budgie what they thought of it, they just turned up their noses and said that they would most certainly _not _agree to such a scheme.

"It's an absolute disgrace to the entire line of _Nekinn_!" sniffed Budgie.

"Yes, and how could we ever agree on anything?" Shilvire put in. "We'd just end up arguing about every single issue we needed to act on and never come to any sort of resolution at all."

Nova wasn't any help either. "Seems we're in a bit of a pickle, mate." he said, shrugging his shoulders hopelessly.

"You don't say?" I muttered, with considerably less mirth than last time. At last, I finally came to a decision that was so obvious, I kicked myself for not having thought of it before. "Gentlemen," I announced, rubbing my shin, "I believe I have figured out how to put an end to this ridiculous situation."

"Well what is it, then?" demanded Khreppe, who had as yet been toying idly with a small pebble.

"Yeah, _keeping secrets collects no kudos_ and all that." quipped Shilvire.

"That's not even a _thing_, you bloody simpleton!" yelled Vernif, popping up out of nowhere.

"Now, now, my boy, stop that rudeness." Budgie-Smugglers reprimanded.

"How about you stop your freaking stupidity, Dad!?" Vernif answered in that objectionable way of his.

"Hey, calm down!" I interposed hurriedly, waving an apple in the air to get everyone's attention and then wondering what on Starsector I was doing holding an apple. "We're going off-topic. I was going to say, since you three—" I nodded at the clan leaders. "—seem to be incapable of agreeing on anything, I hereby propose that we abolish the line of _Nekinn _forever, and instead let you three clans separate for good and go your own ways _peacefully_. What do you think?"

There was a long, ominous silence as the three leaders thought the idea over carefully. The quietness was punctuated only by a soft crunching noise as Vernif helped himself to my apple. At last, Shilvire drew himself up ceremoniously and spoke. "That idea is blooming-well impeccable!" he yelled, giving me a double-thumbs-up. "I'm gonna throw a massive party back at Peskki-Flick-Dip-Hill when I get back and tell the others the good news!" He then left without even bothering to hear what the others had to say.

"I think," said Khreppe slowly, "that you might have a point, actually."

"Really?" I grinned. "It was a pretty darn-tootin' obvious answer, if you ask me."

"No one did." growled Vernif, while I kicked myself again, just to make my point.

"How about you, Budgie?" I asked hesitantly, knowing that he would likely be the most reluctant to adopt the scheme, what with the _Nekinnii_ being a part of his family history and all. "Are you for the idea, or against?"

"Cease and desist with your verbal precision, boy!" he snapped. "I'm bloody-well trying to think!"

"Temper, temper." I rebuked him smugly, folding my arms. His only response was to huff at me. In a moment, however, he saw that he had no choice but to speak, and so he did, though not graciously.

"You have the most damnable ideas," he grunted, "but since no one can offer any better way to resolve this problem, then I'll not stand in your way. Expect no help from me and my troops, however."

I would have conceded on that point, when suddenly, Vernif spoke up. "Oh, chill _out_, daddikins!" he warbled. "This retard's done us all a big favour, and you're just shoving his good intentions up your—" He said something rather objectionable. "—! Can't you fricken' do someone else some good instead of only worrying about yourself, you dumpy old coot? Come on! Quit being so selfish!"

Budgie stared at his rebellious son for a long time, completely speechless. Although I'm not sure if it's because he was realising the truth of Vernif's words, or because Vernif had followed up his speech with an oath that suggested his dad go and do something not only highly unlikely and exceedingly immoral, but also not physically possible. "You're...you're..." Budgie stuttered.

"Correct?" beamed Vernif. "I know. I'm sooooo much wiser than all the rest of you dimwits."

"_No,"_ fumed Budgie, "You're a very rude little Bakugan who ought to be tossed into the Doom Dimension! Now you'd just better quit this insulting phase of yours or so help me, I'll drag you off to the uninhabited southern regions and dump you! Understand!?"

"But—but..._Daa-aad!_" whined Vernif, stamping his foot. _"I don't wanna be dumped in the southern regions!"_

"SO SHUT THE FLUFFY DUCKLING _UP!_" screeched Budgie, covering his ears as though he had a headache. He probably _did _have a headache in all actuality.

"Er..." I said in a little voice, while Vernif ran howling from the room. "I'll just...go now."

"No," said Budgie suddenly. "Vernif may be a right royal about a hundred and five percent of the time, but as it happens, he's right. You _have _done a lot to help us Aquos Bakugan, and honour demands that I show my gratitude properly. You can count us Tenshirak Bakugan in, and we'll be glad to help you out, as you helped us."

I stared for a minute, not fully realising what Budgie had just said at first. However, his words soon clicked, and I gave a relieved grin. "Thanks a lot, Budgie." I said sincerely, shaking his hand—or paw, I suppose.

"Such a romantic moment!" gushed an overwhelmed Nova, eyes brimming with tears.

"I thought _you'd_ left the room!" I yelled disgustedly. "It is most certainly _not _a bloody romantic moment! How on Starsector could a Staryan and a Juggernoid_—_"

"Problem?" grinned Troll-Nova, as I'd come to nickname him. I sighed, walked over to the nearest brick wall and started rapidly bashing my head against it.

* * *

When all was over, and I'd recovered from the severe fracture I'd literally brought on myself, I set up another portal, and ushered the Tenshirak, Glifrasas and Fyllrisingeth Bakugan through it. Then I closed it up, collected my companions, and, ignoring a fresh stream of claims from Kensington that we were being followed, opened yet another portal to the next world.

"So, where to, now?" questioned Nova as we entered.

"Ventus Space, no doubt." I answered. "I think I heard one of the Bakugan say that Vestroia is structured something like a wheel, with the six Attribute worlds in a ring around Inner space, rotating slowly around the two cores. The Attribute worlds are in a special order, which never changes: Pyrus, Subterra, Haos, Darkus, Aquos and Ventus. Based on how we've done so far, we've doubtlessly been travelling around this ring—so Ventus has got to be next. After we finish up there, we'll head straight back to Starsector. We'll have no need of going to Pyrus Space, since there are no Bakugan there."

"But we're supposed to be looking for Sektarii, too." Nova reminded me.

"To be honest, I really don't think there are any Sektarii in Vestroia at all." I said seriously. "We've not seen a single one in our travels so far, and according to Shilvire, there haven't been any signs of non-Bakugan life around, not even in those uninhabited southern regions they speak about. The story was the same everywhere."

"Still..." Nova trailed off reluctantly, but I didn't hear him all that well, and so we left it. Presently, the end of the portal entered my line of sight, and I called out for the others to be ready. We fell out of the portal, and nearly smashed right into a sharp configuration of stone peaks jutting out from the ground like Colonel Narov's teeth. Luckily, however, Nova was just able to grab hold of me and Kensington and pull us out of the way, landing none too prettily on a great slab of rock at the base of the peaks. Looking around, I thought at first that we must have somehow arrived back in Subterra Space.

Then I saw the rows of dark mountains spanning the horizon, lit up eerily with an angry red glow from the clusters of volcanoes, smoking ominously. From these volcanoes ran wide rivers of molten magma, bubbling sullenly as they streamed along their winding ways, slicing the world up into uneven plains of red, dusty rock.

No signs of life could be seen, neither flora nor fauna. The only indications that life had existed here were the great heaps of branch-like objects lying all around us: white, shimmering in the light of the lava, bleached from the rays of the hot red sun that beat mercilessly down upon us.

Bones.

I glanced at Nova and saw tears sliding unchecked down his face as he stood and looked wordlessly at the skeleton of a Gargonoid lying splintered at his feet. He clearly recognised the place as I did.

_Pyrus Space._


	19. Chapter Eighteen: As All Traitors Should

**Chapter Eighteen – As All Traitors Should Be**

Wandering aimlessly through the deserted stretches of smouldering wasteland was no picnic. I wasn't even sure why we were bothering to look around. It certainly wasn't doing poor Nova any good to be home, and the sight of the ancient carcasses that had once been mighty legions of Pyrus Bakugan only depressed everyone, even those e'er-extraordinary pigeons.

Yet we continued on, looking around, though not one of us knew what we were endeavouring to search for as we trudged wearily onwards through scenery unchanging, the scattered piles of skeletons never growing any less. Occasionally the sight of Hydranoid remains would slightly vary the monotony of the journey, but Hydranoid or no, the sight of bones invariably brings one morbid thought to mind: death.

At last, Kensington and I could walk no further, and we collapsed at the base of a range of mountains, utterly exhausted. I called out to Nova, saying that we were going to stop and set up camp. I don't think he heard me, he was so wrapped in his grief.

Though I felt sorely for him, I decided to leave him to his reflections, so I turned back to Kensington and started to assemble the tent. Later, when we were having dinner, I glanced in the direction Nova had gone, and saw him silhouetted black against the setting sun, making his sad way up the first of the mountains. I sighed unhappily and downed my cup of peanut soup in one go, not paying any attention to the taste (which was probably just as well, if one is to believe even the lesser half of the rumours concerning peanut soup).

The sun set. We finished up dinner, and I was about to retire for the night, when I looked back up at Nova again and noticed a change in his stride. No longer did he droop and drag his feet, as though his body was moving against his will, but now he was plodding along determinedly, with a sense of purpose, and yet he was still obviously very doleful. His wings were furled, too, which bestowed on me the impression that he was intent on getting somewhere, but reluctant to arrive too quickly...

Then suddenly, a thought approached me that was so shocking, so terrible, that I was rendered comatose for a moment. Necessity, however, aided me in regaining control of my will, and I took off sprinting after Nova, unaware that I was screaming at him all the while to stop, to come back.

I can only assume that it was Fate who saw fit to help me ascend that mountain, for it was tall, steep, and an impossible acclivity to all but the most careful—or in my case, the most desperate—of climbers. Fear gave my feet wings, and I was able by a stunning feat to actually gain on Nova, scrabbling up the mountainside with all my might.

Even so, it took a good couple of terrifying hours to catch up with him, by which time he had reached the tip of the mountain's peak and was readying himself to jump, wings folded tightly, eyes screwed shut...

I tried to cry out to him, to bid him not to commit this terrible deed, but my voice had long since dwindled away, for I hadn't stopped calling him since I had begun the chase.

In panicked desperation, I pulled myself over the last ridge, tearing my hands to pieces in the process. I felt nothing at this, nothing except a cold, hard fear inside, that I was about to lose another guardian...

I ran, tripped over a rock and fell, grazing my face and knee, ignored the pain and clawed my way over the last couple of feet to the very edge of the mountain, just as Nova threw himself off the precipice with a low cry. Without a moment's hesitation, I grabbed the edge of the peak with my bleeding hands, and with a great pull, hauled myself over the side and after him.

Through streaming eyes, I could dimly make out Nova's profile far below me, black against the blackness of the night. I fought weakly against the weightlessness that seemed to fill my body, holding me back, keeping the two of us apart. I could fancy I saw Nova slipping further away from me as we fell down...down...down...

I kept struggling to reach him, but it was no good: gravity, here, was my enemy, and my energy was drained almost to nothing. I could feel myself losing consciousness. I was ready to give up...to die... I consoled myself with the idea that at least when I was dead, I would have no need of regret. Perhaps I'd even see Siege again, in the Next World... My eyes shut, and I started to smile.

Then another thought, uninvited as the last, slowly entered the darkening realm of my waking mind: _You mustn't give up. Nova needs you, just as Siege needed you. You let Siege down, for there was nothing you could do. Are you going to let Nova down, too? He is about to die, and you are the only one who can stop him. Siege is gone, but you can save Nova! SAVE HIM!_

I opened my eyes grimly and started to fight once more, but harder this time. Determination was giving me strength. Determination...and love for my friend. About five minutes passed, during which I kept doggedly pushing my way downwards through the air, even as the ground came closer... At last, I was able to grip the tip of Nova's tail. I clung there tenaciously for a moment, then began pulling myself painfully up, hand over hand to my favourite seat behind his head.

"Nova!" I croaked, thumping my bloody fists against him to get his attention. "NOVA! Listen to me, Nova, you've got to stop! You've got to spread your wings and save us! You don't have to die! You don't have to—" But it was no use: he'd blacked out. Despairingly, I tried my very best to wake him, calling and shaking him, kicking my feet uselessly against his side. All to no avail, however, and we were now very close to the ground. I knew then, that we would die. I had failed. I wasn't fast enough...

I cast one last look at the heavens, knowing I would meet them soon. I then threw my head back and cried out, intending to scream my last words to the skies, asking Fate to see that we crossed over to the Next World safely... _But something else came out of my mouth. _Something I'd never heard before in my short life. _"NOVAAKII!" _I cried wildly, effortlessly, almost without realising it._ "CARRIATRIES FAETAS BATTRAS! NOVAAAAAAAAAAAKKIIIIIIII!"_

Without warning, Nova's eyes snapped open. Taking in the situation in a second, he spread his great wings in a flash, and just like that, we stopped dead-still in mid-air with a bump, only a few metres above the unforgiving surface below. Sobbing with relief, I slipped weakly off his back and hit the ground—hard enough to knock the wind out of me, but nowhere near as hard as I'd feared a minute ago. My strength, it seemed, had finally ebbed away.

"Nova..." I gasped weakly, staring, wide-eyed at him. He picked me up gently in his great, clawed hands, and lifted me upwards so I could look him in the face. I saw that he was crying again.

"Phyra," he said just quietly enough for me to hear him as he carried me slowly back to the camp. "Phyra, I'm—I'm sorry."

"N-no..." I coughed. "_I'm _sorry."

"For what?" he asked, startled.

"For not being there for you," I said through gritted teeth, wincing as the pain from all my cuts and bruises finally reached me in what felt like a great wave of fire and ice. "If I'd—if I'd been with you the whole time...I could have stopped you sooner."

At that, Nova stopped walking and pressed me to his cheek in an awkward sort of embrace. "You've got nothing to be sorry for, Phyra." he whispered. "It's my fault, all my fault. I should never have thought of leaving you, because that's not what friends do. I'm the one who should be sorry, and I am, more than you can know."

"Don't apologise any more," I said quietly. "I understand—and I forgive you."

"Thanks." he breathed. We then entered the camp, and there was no no further need for talking, nor would there have been, even if we'd continued to walk for the rest of the night. Feeling weary, but not sleepy, I wasn't really in the mood for bed, and neither was Nova. So we sat back and watched the stars high above us, each silent, occupied in our own thoughts, but happy in our companionship.

True solitude is a hard burden to bear, and both of us were deeply grateful that solitude, which causes so much despair in the lives of others, was not a trouble that we had to deal with, so long as we had each other.

* * *

The following morning, I woke early and found myself still sitting next to Nova, who was now asleep. The sun was rising over the mountains and no one else was up. I reflected that Pyrus Space actually looked rather pretty in the rosy light of dawn, albeit still full of remnants of the awful battle that had taken place there.

On the premise that the others wouldn't appreciate being roused at such an hour, I decided just to remain quiet and observe the rugged, rudimentary beauty of nature at its wildest. In other words, I went for a nice, relaxing stroll, feeling surprisingly complacent after the events of last night.

I was bothered by twinges of pain from my knee when I bent it, and my hands were raw and numb in the biting cold of the early morning—for Pyrus Space, fire-attributed or no, was a dying world, and little heat was left in it even in the middle of the day. But what the hell, messages of agony relating to various anatomical problems were everyday events for me now.

I was just engaged in thinking absently that governmental jargon is a very strange thing, when a mark on the ground not far from our tent caught my eye. Examining it, I found it to be a rather curious footprint. It was large, about two and a half feet long, and one foot wide, with five clawed toes and a heavy pad that had made a deep imprint in the fine dust so seemingly common to this land. It didn't look like any I'd ever seen before, but what was most unnerving was that I was certain I'd passed this way last night, and this print had definitely not been here then.

"Whazzup, brah!?" announced Troll-Nova loudly from behind me, causing me to leap about three feet into the air.

"_Cheesecakes!_" I yelped, coming down hard. "Don't scare me like that, you derro!"

Nova didn't seem at all perturbed. In fact, for both of us, it was as if last night had never happened. "You Staryans are so hilarious." he chuckled, sitting himself down on a rock and swishing his tail flippantly.

"Says he who does that ridiculous troll-face," I retorted.

"Says he who wears hippie wigs and strikes poses and inspects his fingernails minutely," mimicked Nova.

"Says he who's always exclaiming over those bloody pigeons," I said pugnaciously.

"Says he who—"

"Boys, boys," said Kensington, poking his head out of the tent flap. "I think we can all agree that you're both stuck in glass houses and unable to throw stones."

"Yeah, settle, petal." chimed in Alfred, who had up until then been happily engaged in eating Kensington's goatee.

"Is that pigeon eating—?"

"Now, for the love of toast, don't start _that_ again," I said menacingly, before Nova could finish his sentence. "Besides, I want you to come and have a look at this." I showed Nova the footprint I'd discovered. "Do you recognise it?" I asked.

"No..." he said doubtfully. "I don't think so, anyway."

"Naturally, it belongs to the foot of that follower of ours, chaps," said Kensington persistently.

"No one asked _your_ opinion, custard-undies," I said rudely.

"Well!" gasped the shocked Kensington. "That is absolutely the most disgustinginsult I have everheard in my _entire _life! And that includes the time I asked my imaginary mother-in-law to go out on a date with me after my imaginary wife died!" I stared at him, right eyelid twitching. He said nothing further, but retreated back into the tent.

"Hey, brah! Guess what?" called Troll-Nova.

"What?" came Kensington's muffled voice from inside the tent.

"Pickle-knickers!" hooted Nova, doubling over with helpless laughter. There was a low moan and the sound of someone passing out. Nova and I glanced at each other, then wordlessly came to the same conclusion. "AAAAAWWW YEEEEAAAHHH!" we both whooped, jumping into the air for a high-five as a "Let's Celebrate Cos Kensington's Unconscious" party immediately started. Several minutes later, we stopped partying as Kensington came to, or so I presumed from the curious noises issuing forth from the half-open tent flap. Not wishing to investigate, I asked Nova whether he thought there was, in fact, someone following us.

"I really don't see how that could be," I argued. "I mean, non-Bakugan visitors to Vestroia can't be common, can they?"

"As rare as rocking horse manure," agreed Nova, flicking the tip of his tail idly.

"Exactly," I said, scrutinising him carefully for signs of potential insanity or terminal illness, "but, speaking in a more serious note, this might not bode well for us. We'll have to be on guard now."

"You mean, like, _en garde_?" inquired Nova, lifting an imaginary sword.

"No, you insufferable twit!" I yelled, infuriated. "I mean _on our guard against potential death and other general uncalled-for unpleasantness_. My _word_, you're a moron sometimes."

"Well it's not _my_ fault you were born in a topping factory!" huffed Nova.

"I WAS NOT—wait, _what?_" I asked, completely mystified.

"Never mind, let's just pack up and get a move on." he said crossly.

I sighed. "Look, don't get your knickers in a knot, Nova. We'll be rid of this here dump soon enough, and then we'll all be happier, right?"

"Are you calling my home a dump?" cried Nova, outraged. "It is most certainly _not_ a dump! It just needs some interior redecorating!"

"Right, sorry, sorry," I said hastily, not wanting another row. "We'll be rid of this here place-in-need-of-interior-redecorating soon enough, and then we'll all be happier. Better?"

"Better," Nova affirmed, mollified. "Fine, let's go, and my knickers are not in a knot! I don't even _have _knickers!"

"Good for you," I smirked, unable to resist a wisecrack. "Otherwise, they'd be custard undies."

"You're odd." said Nova, edging away.

"Aren't we all?" I cried airily, spreading my arms wide. "I feel in touch with the whole of the marvellous world of nature here!"

"Hippie," muttered Nova, while I tripped over the skull of a Warius and nearly fell into a pool of lava.

* * *

Later that day, we came upon a strange place that had a sacred sort of feel to it. It was a large cavern that opened into the side of the biggest and darkest mountain in the whole of Pyrus Space. Lining the walls of this cavern were rows of torches in brackets that seemed as though they'd been burning from the beginning of time, and would continue burning until the end of time. By their flickering light, I could see that against the lower parts of the walls stood hundreds of small pedestals, all about three feet high, and all carved out of a hard, reddish, marble-like rock. All had different inscriptions chiselled into them with the kind of care and attention that only the most dedicated artisans possess. Finally, all had funny lumps of amber placed on their tops—all except one, that is.

Each piece of amber was differently shaped, and had a different object embedded in it. Some had claws, others fangs. One or two had rocks, one had a beetle, another had a scale. One had a piece of whittled horn. One had a cloud of fine ash... Curious, I stretched out my hand to pick up the piece nearest to me. This one had in it a scarlet feather that had been daubed in some kind of dark, sludgy liquid—blood, unless I missed my guess.

The instant my fingertips touched it, however, my mind was wracked with a horrible, burning pain, and a great, despairing sadness rose up in my heart. Agonised, I let go of the amber immediately with an exclamation. Kensington turned to glance at me, but Nova wasn't paying attention. "This place..." he said softly, gazing at a slim chunk of amber with a clump of matted hair in it. "I know this place."

"Say what, now?" I asked distractedly, rubbing my hand, which was now throbbing.

"This place..." Nova repeated in a strained voice. "It's a _graveyard_."

"A graveyard?" I echoed hollowly, stepping several paces away from the nearest pedestal—which proved rather pointless, since the only thing I gained from that little manoeuvre was to be several paces nearer to another pedestal on the other side of the cavern.

"These pieces of amber," Nova murmured. "They're not amber at all. They're _solestia._"

"_Que?"_ I said blankly.

"Soul-pieces." Nova explained, still in a hushed voice. "You build one for yourself, and when you die, they bind your soul to the object inside, which must belong to you—whether it be a part of your body or merely one of your personal possessions. They're encased in this amber-like substance for protection. It is said that—" He choked down a sob. "—that to have one of these placed in this hall will keep you out of the Doom Dimension."

"It doesn't really work, though, does it?" I breathed. "You can't actually bind your soul to anything, can you?"

"Can you?" repeated Nova, looking me steadily in the eye. "You know what it was like to touch one. You tell _me_." I didn't have any reply to that, so I just watched as Nova searched through the pedestals, looking for a specific inscription. He found it soon enough, and stood gazing at it for a long time, unmoving. I looked at him questioningly, and he said, in a shaking voice, "This one's my mother." It was egg-shaped, with a broken tooth in it. Nova continued to look at it forlornly, seemingly buried in memories.

"Did she...?" I trailed off, not wanting to voice my question. Nova understood, though.

"No, she died when my little brother was born." he said. "She never lived to hear of Darcell, and so much the better."

"Hold on—you have a brother?" I asked unwittingly, then immediately regretted my words, even as Nova corrected me flatly.

"_Had. _I _had _a brother." he said, not turning away from his mother's pedestal. "He was one of the first to go."

"I'm sorry," I said contritely.

"We never got along very well, Delta and I." he said, disregarding me. "He was always a nicer Bakugan than I was. People respected me, but everyone _liked_ Delta... That wasn't his name, of course. _Delta_ was short for Delta Dragonoid, the form everyone was sure he'd evolve to, before he, er, went. He never got the chance to find his name." He paused. "I miss him."

I stroked his tail, and said, "I'd miss him too if I were in your position."

"Yeah," he replied dully, going over the row of pedestals again. "This is him." A cubic soul-piece with a jagged slate of rock in it. "That rock was like his lucky charm. He was always carrying it around with him. It annoyed the crapout of me, but he did it anyway..." I looked at it a moment, then slowly lost interest as Nova stopped speaking again, and continued his silent brooding.

I took another look around the cavern, and one pedestal caught my eye. This pedestal stood at the very end of the row, and it was the only one without a soul-piece, though it had an inscription and everything. I went over to look at it, but was unable to read the unfamiliar writing.

"Nova," I called. "Nova, whose _solestia _is meant to go here?"

Aroused from his melancholy reverie, Nova padded over to have a look. Somehow, I knew already what the answer would be, even before he started to speak. "My father's." he said, blinking back tears as he traced over the inscription with his foreclaw. "I wish I could see him again."

Suddenly, something I'd been puzzling over for a while clicked into place. "Nova," I said slowly, "last night, when we were falling...you were unconscious, and I was trying to wake you up. I said something, something strange, in another language."

"Hmmm?" Nova murmured, preoccupied with reading the inscription.

"I think you've heard it before," I pressed. "You seemed to recognise the words, and then you woke up."

Nova whipped around to face me suddenly, so that I took an involuntary step backwards. "What did you say?" he asked, voice cracking.

"I—I can't remember the words," I stuttered, unspeakably nervous all of a sudden, though I couldn'thave said why.

"I don't believe that for a second." Nova said angrily. "You know something, and you remember perfectly well whatever it was you said, I can tell. Don't insult me by pretending I don't know you. Spit it out."

"Well," I said, gathering the words together, "it—it went something like this: _Novaakii, carriatries faetas battras, Novaakii._" Nova stiffened noticeably, eyes slightly widening. "Do you recognise it?"

"Of course," he whispered. "How could I not? Those words, spoken in my native Vexinite tongue, are branded into my memory forever." When he saw that I didn't follow, he continued. "Those are the last words I heard my father say before I left. They translate as _Nova, come back and fight. Nova._"

My mind reeled at that, and I felt slightly dizzy. I grasped a nearby pedestal for support, keeping well away from the soul-piece on top, of course. "But," I gasped, "how could I have possibly known how to say that?"

"Fate works in strange ways, Phyra," said Nova, "and our subconscious mind is more powerful than we know."

This only served to confuse me more than ever, but I decided that this was not a riddle worth pursuing, so instead I switched to a different subject. "What do you suppose happened to your father's soul-piece?" I questioned.

"I don't know," he replied solemnly, "but I _do_ know that something around here is, to put it like a cartoon, awfully screwy. We need to err on the side of caution. In any case, I don't think there's anything more for us in this world. I think we should leave for Ventus Space now."

"I concur," I said, feeling happier already with the mere idea of leaving this desolate place. "I just hope we can get there." I added. "After all, we thought we were going to last time, but we ended up here. I wonder why that could have been?"

"Fate," Nova stated simply, "is a very strange thing. And, plus, your grasp over mathematics and coordinates is an exceptionally poor one."

"_Fate is a very strange thing? _That's the understatement of the year." I muttered, disregarding his jibe at my maths skills. "Maybe Fate has an Improbability Drive or something..."

"You know, chaps," Kensington butted in, "I don't think Ventus Space is a very good idea."

"Hey, that's right," I said suddenly. "You've been there already, haven't you? What's it like?"

"Well," Kensington admitted reluctantly, "it's windy."

"I certainly hope you don't mean that the way I think you might." said Nova, suddenly snorting with immature laughter.

"What? No!" Kensington replied indignantly. "It's just...the Bakugan there..."

"What about them?" I pressed.

"They're not very, you know, hospitable." said Kensington timidly.

"Herp." said Spot, hopping up and down in agreement.

"Well, if you don't like them, you're more than welcome to go back to Starsector," I said hopefully.

"No," Kensington answered firmly. "My work is not yet done. I'll come with you, but don't say I didn't warn you."

"Oh," I said sadly. "If it's all about you and your damned work, then fine."

"Excellent!" beamed Kensington. "Oh, by the way, you know that mysterious follower of ours?"

"The one you _sensed_?" I said sarcastically. "No, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, but I would be honoured if you were to please continue to enlighten me." I rounded off with a sardonic bow.

"Now, there's no need to go on at me like that, boy!" Kensington returned. "You haven't the faintest idea who I am, have you?"

"No," I cried in exasperation, "because you haven't told us a damn _thing_ about yourself, you demented old coot!"

"Yes, but I just wanted to tell you," said Kensington slowly and deliberately, ignoring my outburst, "that I sense this follower is no longer tailing our party: whoever it is, they've gone onwards ahead of us."

"Oh yippee, huzzah," I said caustically. "Hooray, hooray. Can we stop celebrating and leave now?"

"This is no matter for celebration." Kensington informed us with severity. "The fiend may well be the better off from this, for now he can go ahead with his dastardly plans unhindered, and we are left trailing in the dust, unable to do anything except watch him tear the world down at our feet."

An impressive silence followed his words. "Charming," I said. "Time to go."

"You'll regret this," Kensington intoned ominously.

"You said as much when we left Darkus Space," I shot back, beginning the portal-opening process, "and nothing happened, so pipe down. You're giving me a headache." We then proceeded to leave Pyrus Space, and were soon bound, we hoped, for Ventus Spac, home of the wind and thunder, storm and air. Operation Vestroia was nearing its end, and all things considered, we hadn't done too badly. Such thoughts as these were mine as I left, full of optimism, not worrying about what was to lie ahead, so convinced was I that the next world would be no problem after all the others... Little did I know that this next adventure would be the most exciting and probably the most challenging yet.

* * *

We arrived in Ventus Space in a rather arresting fashion. Nova and I made perfect landings...on top of Kensington and his stupid pigeons.

"Please, old boy," Kensington gasped weakly, "get off me, and do yourself a favour and go on an organic diet."

"No way, ya schmuck. Get some landing skills." I smirked. We then looked around, and saw that we were in a lush, hilly area, full of green mountains and wide valleys. The odd stream or two ran between the ups and downs of the land, and wildflowers poked their brightly coloured heads out of every nook and cranny. A constant breeze swept over the land, as was to be expected—harsher in some parts, gentler in others. Over all, a pale yellow sun shone down soothingly in a way that was most refreshing after the cruel red sun of Pyrus Space.

"Rather nice here, eh what?" I grinned in a credible Kensington impression. Kensington himself didn't look very amused, but Nova couldn't help but give a snicker.

"Merp," said Dixie impatiently, fluttering over to a nearby tree. She seemed to be indicating something.

Looking over that way, I saw a city at the bottom of the biggest valley—a very high city, full of thin, lofty structures and high twisting towers not unlike those back at Dex Morthor in Darkus Space. By the green tinge and the glint here and there, I gathered that these buildings were made mostly out of stone, but with copper seams running through everything—an interesting touch. A closer inspection revealed the sight of small crowds of Bakugan bustling around the place.

"Well that looks like the best way to go," I said appreciatively. "Unless of course there are any bigger cities than that one close by?" I cocked my head inquiringly at Kensington.

"Ventus Space has only one city, Vatkins Loarne." said Kensington. "All the Bakugan of Ventus Space reside there. The rest of the world is unexplored domain."

"Really?" I was incredulous. "All the Bakugan fit into that place? I mean, it's big, but not _that _big! And what about clans? Do they all get along peacefully?"

"There is only one clan, Domutres." answered Kensington.

"Crikey," I said, looking back down at Vatkins Loarne.

"Herp," echoed Spot.

"Did that pigeon just say _herp_?" a familiar-sounding voice issued from within the bushes.

"Who said that?" I demanded, turning around.

"Can't you guess?" came another voice cheekily, and out of the undergrowth popped none other than Kate and Roximor.

"What in the blazes of Starbuck's trousers are you _doing _here?" I cried in shock.

"Well, you didn't honestly think I was going to sit out the entire remainder of the mission, did you?" Kate pointed out. "And why the allusion to Starbuck's trousers, anyway?"

"It seemed appropriate." I shrugged.

"Whatevs." she said casually. "So, how've you been holding out in our absence?"

"Um," I said, thinking of all the events that had happened in Aquos and Pyrus Space. "I did _way _better on my own than with you losers." I put on a smug expression, deciding that she didn't have to know all the details. "How's Rox's leg?" I added, as Kate looked indignant and amused at the same time.

"I'll have a dicky knee for the rest of my poor life," Roximor said ruefully. "But then, I _was_ getting kind of old."

"_Ancient_, more like," teased Troll-Nova, doing his perturbing grin.

"What's with him?" whispered Kate.

"He's going through a phase." I said, shrugging. "Hang on, though. If Rox isn't quite back to his former shape, why'd you bring him? Have you not considered that it's a risk to his safety?"

"And were _you _the ones following us?" Kensington interjected shrewdly.

"I asked to come, young master," said Roximor to me with dignity. "I think I have a right to see my homeland once more before I die, don't you?"

"Well, if you put it _that_ way..." I mumbled.

"And no, Kensington, we weren't following you guys at all." Kate added. "We came directly to Ventus Space using a portal from Starsector. Why do you ask? Has someone been following you?"

"Pay him no attention," I said hastily. "So, we were just about to pop down and check out these Ventus Bakugan down in that city over there. We'll have to be quiet, though. They may be hostile."

"Too true," came a new voice from behind us, one that carried an almost unnerving timbre. We all turned around and saw...how does one describe her? This was a completely new kind of Bakugan, so far as I'd seen. She was dark green, and shaped almost like a flower, with long petals like butterfly wings, and a bud in the centre that was almost like a beak. Aside from that, though, she was quite, like Kensington's pigeons, extraordinary. Her aforementioned petals were rather dark, and hung down almost like a cape. They were tinted with red on the inside, as was her beak, and most unnerving of all were the fangs: two long, white, tusk-like fangs stuck out of the sides of her beak. If ever there were a time to say _vampire tulip_, it would have been right at that moment.

"She looks kinda like a vampire tulip." said Nova in an audible whisper. The strange Bakugan laughed a horrible, sneering laugh, and as she did so, several Ventus Bakugan flew out of the trees and surrounded us from the air. I could count three Monarii, five Ravenoids, and at least two Harpii, plus a few Falconeer and one Bee Striker. We were most definitely outnumbered.

"Come," said the vampire-tulip-Bakugan, beckoning with the tip of a petal.

"Wait, may we know your name?" I called after her as she began to descend the incline of the hill we were standing on top of.

She turned and replied, still in the unsettling tone, "Sylvixius. Vaamprye Orbevrake. Descended from Oberus."

* * *

"Invaders of Ventus Space," boomed Gyllvinae, a Ventus Skyress, and head of the Domutres Bakugan, "you are hereby charged with two offences: firstly, you have been discovered in our territory without permission. Secondly, you have in your party the criminal known as the Mad Prophet." The blood drained from Kensington's face as Gyllvinae pointed grimly at him. "This is indeed a serious situation, for the Mad Prophet was banished from Ventus Space years ago, on account of his evil and malicious acts."

"You never told us they banished you!" I hissed angrily at Kensington.

He gave a sad shrug and said forlornly, "Well, the details weren't exactly flattering."

"Damn the details!" I said, incensed. "This could cost us heavily in more ways than one, you silly great cow!"

"Why d'you reckon they hate him so?" mused Roximor, nudging Nova.

"Beats me," said Nova distractedly. "How should I know about the inner workings of the Ventus mind? That's supposed to be _your _bailiwick."

"Stop that talking!" barked Gyllvinae. "I wasn't finished yet!"

"With respect, sir," began Nova, with anything but respect in his voice.

"SILENCE!" ordered Gyllvinae, throwing Nova a filthy look. "You of all Bakugan deserve the loathing and hatred of everyone gathered here."

"I don't understand your meaning." said Nova. "I've done nothing to you."

"Lies!" screamed Gyllvinae. "Lay off your foul deceit, shameful coward!" He waved what looked like a greenish copper staff in Nova's face. Nova, I noticed, now looked as wan as Kensington did, if not more. I wondered if he was thinking along the same track as I was...

"Let me tell you a story," said Gyllvinae, more quietly this time, but with just as much dangerous passion in his words as before. "It was a long, long time ago now, a little while after the Hydranoid War had ended, and the six Attribute worlds had warped into land and sky forms. My ancestor Orayneus was head of the Domutres, then. Traditions were rather different at that time, but Ventus Space was still fundamentally the same place as it is now.

"One day, Orayneus went out for a short flight in the evening as he often liked to do. On this particular evening, he happened to fly out to the Yre sect by way of the Boor district. Just as he was passing over Mount Erranford, however, whom of all in this world should he see but a bloody _Pyrus _Bakugan! In _Ventus_ Space! When the Pyrus Bakugan were allegedly all _dead!_ Just imagine that."

Gyllvinae shot Nova another dark look before continuing with, "Naturally, Orayneus was quite shocked, and flew down to investigate. On closer inspection, this Bakugan proved to be a Delta Dragonoid, and was in extremely bad shape—near death, in fact. Now, Orayneus asked this Bakugan who he was, and what he was doing here, and what did the Bakugan say? _My name is Hylar, of the Vexin clan, and I am one of the only two surviving Pyrus Bakugan._ Do you recognise that name? Ring any bells?" Gyllvinae hinted, smiling nastily as he poked Nova in the chest. Nova looked furious, but stared doggedly down at his feet and didn't answer.

"It ought to sound familiar," cackled Gyllvinae, "because according to this Hylar, he was _your _father." There was a collective gasp, mostly from the pigeons and Kensington, but I'll admit even _I_ was shocked. Of course, our surprise was nothing compared to that of Nova's. His eyes rose to meet those of Gyllvinae's, and he said, voice barely above a whisper, "My father survived?"

"Oh, _yes!_" screamed Gyllvinae, laughing hysterically. "And you know what else? He told Orayneus, right before he scribbled some nonsense down on a rock and died, that _you_, according to that fiendish Darcell, were responsiblefor the deaths of the Pyrus Bakugan! _You _had something Darcell wanted, didn't you? He'd said if you gave it to him, he'd let the Pyrus Bakugan go free, am I right? Yes, and you didn't, did you? Your own father called out to you, but no, you ran away!

"And then your father fought Darcell off, and chased after you, didn't he? He received a nasty wound, but was able to escape into Ventus Space and wait there, recovering until all was over and my forefathers returned to their world! Soon after that, then, he scrawled something down on a nearby stone and expired. So endeth my tale, and so you, filthy traitor to your race, are condemned to prison, as all traitors should be. SEIZE HIM, LADS! AND THE MAD PROPHET TOO!"

A great multitude of Ventus Bakugan approached from all sides, and piled themselves on top of Nova and Kensington before the rest of us had had time to think. When I'd got my wits together, I shouted out angrily and tried to fight back, but a large El Condor blocked my path. Nearby, Kate and Roximor were in much the same situation, and we were forced to watch, agonised, as Nova and Kensington were hauled away.

I called after them, "Don't give up hope. We'll get you out of there soon!" Nova nodded at me, and though he spoke not a word, his meaning was clear: _I trust you. _Now I just needed to earn that trust... As the chaos died down and the El Condor backed off, I turned to Gyllvinae, enraged. "You let them go, you big green nob!" I yelled fiercely. "Nova's done nothing to _you_, and I refuse to believe that Kensington is evil! He's too..." I trailed off, not knowing _what _Kensington was, exactly. Harmless? Old? Friendly? Crazy? Even as I thought about it, something Kensington had said floated back to me, as if to heighten my doubt: _"Blood makes me happy." _"Well," I finished lamely, "I don't believe it, anyway."

"You know nothing!" spat Gyllvinae. "The Mad Prophet has been causing civil unrest with his crazed rantings! I cannot afford to have my people living their lives in fear. Morale is flagging enough around here as it is. ("Now, I wonder why _that_ would be," I muttered pointedly.) And as for that good-for-nothing Pyrus," Gyllvinae snorted, "I wouldn't trust him as far as I could _spit._ He's rotten all the way down to the core."

"You don't know what the Hydranoid War did to him." I said, trembling with a fierce anger that burned through me like so much hot sauce. "He tried to kill himself. I was there, and I stopped him."

"Well, you shouldn't have!" bellowed Gyllvinae. "None of us will thank you for saving that worthless wretch."

"He's not worthless!" I screamed, balling my hands into fists. "And I'll make you regret locking him up!"

"Please," Gyllvinae sniffed, waving a disdainful claw "I will not have my time further wasted with this foolishness. Leave this room at once. For the sake of our tradition, I will see that you are granted lodging until you are able to leave. The Pyrus and the Mad Prophet are to stay where they are."

"Well, could you at least hear why we have come to you in the first place?" I persisted, thinking that despite our rocky start, we might as well try and have a crack at our original goal while we were in the vicinity.

"Nothing could bore me more, I'm afraid. Now, _get out_." snapped Gyllvinae, gesturing with his copper staff. A swarm of Bee Strikers approached and created a huge whirlwind that swept us unceremoniously from the room.

* * *

"Well, _that_ went completely off the rails." Kate remarked drily, while we made our way into the bed chambers we'd been directed to.

"You don't say?" I muttered, burying my head in my hands as I sat down on one of the beds.

"Don't worry, though, we'll make it out of this somehow." she said consolingly. "Give Gyllvinae a night to calm down and we'll try again tomorrow."

"The lady speaks the truth." Roximor added wisely. "The Rune sayeth that a way is always there for those who look on the bright side." At that point, Monty Python's 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' suddenly began to play on Kate's MP3 player. She put on a bad poker face as the lyrics filled the room...

_'...if life seems jolly rotten, there's something you've forgotten,_

_And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing...'_

"You know, optimism really annoys me sometimes," I stated irritably, blocking my ears. A brick fell out of the ceiling and narrowly missed my head.

"I think the ceiling likes optimism." observed Kate, glancing at the hole in the roof, through which the sound of the song was now issuing. Unbeknownst to us, the tune actually carried through the entire building, spreading cheer wherever it went. This then backfired, because we soon got a lot of visitors begging us to keep the song on repeat throughout the whole night, which we did, at least until the MP3's battery ran out.

I don't think I'll ever be able to get that darned tune out of my head, and to this day, if anyone ever says _anything _about the bright side of life, I punch them in the face and then "keep on chooglin'", as it were.


	20. Chapter Nineteen: Legacy

**Chapter Nineteen – Legacy**

The next morning, we were surprised to see Sylvixius outside our door. "Come," she said shortly. "Gyllvinae wishes to speak to you." We followed her back to Gyllvinae's chambers, and found the place in uproar.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" I demanded.

"You should know, you miserable sneak thief!" howled Gyllvinae. "You've stolen the Staff of Awesomeness! You must _pay_ for your crime!"

"_The Staff of Awesomeness_? How corny." muttered Kate, minutely inspecting her fingernails and polishing them on her coat.

"Mate, that looks nowhere near as cool as you think it does." I murmured obligingly.

"Don't talk to me like that," she huffed.

"Wow, simmer down, Cousin Toby," I smirked, "and amend your drunkenness."

"I AM NOT—"

"Come now, children." said a random spider with a posh accent. We stared at it. It gave a troll-grin, said, "Problem?" and vanished.

"I demand that you return the Staff of Awesomeness at once!" Gyllvinae screamed, ignoring our little altercation.

"We haven't stolen anything, you ninnyhammer!" I shrilled. "And what _is _this Staff of Awesomeness, anyway?"

"You saw it!" Gyllvinae snapped. "The copper staff I held yesterday! A thief stole it last night, and I believe it was _you!_ Now, return it to me, and you may be pardoned!"

"We didn't take it!" I insisted furiously.

"Oh, really!? Then—" Gyllvinae suddenly broke off and said something to one of his advisors, a Ventus Monarus. The Monarus cleared the room of everyone except me, Kate, Roximor and Gyllvinae. "That's better," breathed Gyllvinae. "Now I can bloody-well hear myself."

"Worse luck," I muttered to Kate, who grinned broadly.

"Now, look," said Gyllvinae. "This is my ultimatum: either hand over the Staff, or clear off and leave Ventus Space forever."

"But we can't leave without Nova and Kensington!" I cried, aghast.

Gyllvinae slowly broke into a wide, evil smile. "Well," he said, "you'd better give me the Staff, then, hadn't you?"

"We don't have your staff." I reiterated quietly.

"THEN LEAVE!" snarled Gyllvinae. "BUGGER OFF!"

"We can't, you bloody moron!" I shouted. "We're not leaving Nova and Kensington!"

"You have no choice in the matter!" snapped Gyllvinae.

"Actually," I said calmly, levelling my gun at his head, "we do."

Gyllvinae turned white, but did not falter. "Fool!" he spat. "What will you gain from my death? My army will simply turn on you, and that little toy won't defeat fifty of my best warriors!"

"He's right," murmured Kate, "_and _there's no way the Ventus Bakugan will help us if we murder their leader."

"Alright," I said aloud. "Then how about this?" I took out my Enhancer from my pocket. "If I activate this device," I told Gyllvinae, "it will expand into a mighty tower, capable of destroying half this city. If you won't release our friends, I'll break in with my Enhancer and rescue them myself."

"Why didn't I think of that?" marvelled Kate.

"Cos you're not a prodigy." I smirked, before turning to Gyllvinae. "Look," I said persuasively, "I really don't want anyone to get hurt, so if you'd just comply, we'll both avoid a lot of unneeded heartbreak. Come now, be reasonable."

To my apprehension (and outraged dignity), Gyllvinae only laughed a horrible, mocking laugh. "That ridiculous contraption will never work, boy." he hissed. "The whole of Vatkins Loarne is protected by an energy diverter system. If you try and attack us, your weapons will only rebound on you."

"But—this is so totally unfair!" I complained, running my hands through my stunning hair.

"Oh, the dawn of realisation," grumbled Kate, punching a stray Teddibear with the signature "Salami Slicer" move she'd invented a few weeks before whilst playing with a stress chicken.

"Yeah, my epic system is so totally rad and snazzy," Gyllvinae boasted. "I had it installed the other week for twenty percent off the advertised price!"

"Fine," I said, now highly piqued. "I challenge you to a battle. If I win, you've got to let Nova and Kensington go. If I lose, I'll recover your staff using any means necessary." I looked at him determinedly. "Have we a deal?" I asked.

Gyllvinae narrowed his cold, yellow eyes at me. "How do I know you'll keep your word?" he asked suspiciously.

"You can't know," I said reasonably, "any more than I can know you'll keep _your _side of the bargain, but look at it this way: which of us has more to lose?"

Gyllvinae looked thoughtful for a moment, then sighed, and said, "Alright, we have a deal."

I was reminded vividly of another time I'd made a bet on the outcome of a battle. I just hoped this time wouldn't be as disastrous as last time.

* * *

"Are you ready?!" a random bystander squealed excitedly.

"Yes, dumbcluck, we're ready!" I called back. It was now time for our battle. I would have liked to just fight Gyllvinae back in his rooms, but apparently these Bakugan only battled each other in their arena, so that was effectively out of the question. A pretty sizable crowd had turned up, probably due to all the _Spectators Wanted!_ flyers that someone had posted up all over the city about half an hour ago. I hadn't realised how seriously these Bakugan took their matches.

"So, are you going to fight me yourself, boy?" sneered Gyllvinae. "Or will you summon some lapdog lackey to fight for you?"

"First of all," I said loudly in reply, "please don't ever, _ever _use the term _lapdog lackey_ again. You have no idea how jarring that sounds. Second of all, I'll be fighting you using my _weapons_. Make of that what you will." _This is for you, Nova. _I added silently._ Wherever you are, I'll get you out...and maybe Kensington, if I'm feeling generous enough... _

"GO!" screamed the random bystander, who, it seemed, was going to be the official.

"Gate Card—Set!" I called, as a thin grey card burst from my BakuPod and flew onto the arena floor, growing larger and shining red.

"What is this trickery?" demanded Gyllvinae, glancing suspiciously at the Gate Card, which had turned back to grey.

"You'll soon find out, deary. Come, Microgan!" I yelled, loading all three of my Microgan into the dock. "Pyrus Tarantulak, Pyrus Phasorak and Darkus Panferus!" Three small metal shapes flew onto the arena floor and changed into a spider, a bat and a panther. There came a murmur of surprise from the Bakugan gathered.

"Three against one?" taunted Gyllvinae. "You're as cowardly as that good-for-nothing Pyrus you hang around with. SKYRESS LOCKDOWN!" A shining green seal appeared on my Gate Card, and each of my Microgan lost some of their Power Level. With a curse, I picked out a couple of Micro Abilities and loaded them up, saying, "Double Micro Ability—Activate! Phasor Plus, plus Wildcat Fury!"

"How can you even say _Phasor Plus, plus_?" Kate demanded from the sidelines, as Phasorak and Panferus both gained more power and charged at Gyllvinae. "That sounds even worse than _lapdog lackey_!"

"If I care right now, then I'm a honey badger!" I shot back, preparing to load another card into the slot on my BakuPod.

"Actually, that doesn't work," Kate pointed out, "because, as the saying goes, _the honey badger don't give a—_"

"Prepare for trouble!" shrieked Gyllvinae, drowning out the rest of her comment. "Phoenix Storm!" A harsh gust of wind surged over the floor of the arena, knocking all three Microgan into the wall.

"Alright," I yelled defiantly. "So that's how you get your kicks? Well then maybe I _am _a honey badger, cos I certainly _don't _give a—"

"Phyra, use this!" cried Kate, tossing me a card. Meanwhile, Gyllvinae gave a cry of "Featherburst!" and shot a hail of gleaming shuriken-like feathers at the Microgan, rendering Panferus and Tarantulak useless. Phasorak, being able to fly, just _baaaarely_ zipped out of the way, giving a mechanical screech that might have passed off as being rather comical in a less trying situation.

Now, however, was not the most convenient time for laughing, particularly not at the antics of highly destructive robots. I glanced at the Micro Ability Kate had passed to me, and found it was just the thing. If _this_ didn't work, I was at a loss as to figure out what would. I didn't bother to load it into my BakuPod. In a sink or swim situation like this one, I was going to go about pursuing victory the good ol'-fashioned way. I raised the card up above my head, and yelled out, my voice suddenly sounding several octaves higher (which was rather annoying, since I had hoped to sound rather imposing at this point), "Micro Ability—Activate! Reviving Meteor Hail!"

A huge volley of meteorites suddenly dropped out of the sky. They knocked right into Gyllvinae in one great rush, sending him crashing into the wall, while the aftershock miraculously restored a massive amount of energy to all three Microgan. Don't ask _me _how a bunch of flaming rocks raining down from the fiery heavens can repair a bunch of broken machines. This game is pretty balmy at the best of times, and since a lot of the Abilities we used in those days were syntheticAbilities manufactured by our scientists, well, pretty much _anything_ could happen.

Anyhow, Gyllvinae seemed unsurprisingly to have come off worst in that last little display, but just as a grand finale, if you like, I ordered the Microgan to attack. To put a long and gruesome story short, they did. I had won yet again.

Resisting the urge to click my heels and fire a flare into the air, I walked over to the groaning Gyllvinae in what I hoped (or "fondly imagined", as Kate sweetly put it) was my coolest fashion, and sternly asked Gyllvinae if he intended to keep his word. "I find it hard to opine realistically that you'll endear yourself to your people if you go back on your promise." I stated, seemingly carelessly, though inside I was anxious as a prisoner awaiting sentence.

Gyllvinae fixed his eyes on me, and I could see that they were burning with hatred. Clearly, he was a sore loser. "Very well," he said at last, albeit bitterly. "I'll honour my word—but you and your group must leave Ventus Space immediately afterwards. I have no wish to set eyes on any of you ever again."

I sighed, and thought, _Well, at least we got help from everyone else. _Beside me, Kate made a sympathetic noise and laid her hand on my arm, while Roximor mumbled something indistinctly through clenched teeth.

Up above, the sun shone gently, and the breeze continued to flow over the green hills, the streams and the downs, as though mocking our awkward situation. And yet they unintentionally gave us a message of hope (and don't say anything about the weather not having intentions. You know as well as I do that the elements can be sentient beings if you think of them in the right frame of mind), for no matter what misfortunes may befall one, there's nothing that can quite compare to that wonderfully warm and bubbly feeling you get on a perfectly sunny day.

* * *

After a moment of staring around uselessly, we were eventually escorted by Gyllvinae himself over to the local (and only) prison, where Nova and Kensington had been holed up for the last little while during all the various boringly unpleasant events up above. Kensington sauntered out, merry and cheerful as ever. "By my ancient left foot!" he ejaculated, with a sunny smile. "It's a marvellous day out here, eh what?"

"See what I've been stuck with for the last twenty-four hours?" grumbled Nova, following stiffly behind the crackpot old fool and stretching his cramped wings. "This freak is absosnaply potty, that's what he is! And if one more of those bloody pigeons parks its miserable feathered rear on my person, I'll see to it that—"

"Yeah, sorry, buddy. We've been doing as much as we could to get this mess straightened out." I said soothingly.

"I do apologise for the state of the cells." muttered Gyllvinae, without much grace or sincerity to his words.

Nova's face hardened. "Talk is cheap," he said pugnaciously, advancing on Gyllvinae, "and you're one of the most low-budget windbags I've encountered in a long time. I've a good mind to squeeze the air out of your lungs, and maybe then you'll have just enough breath left to speak sense for a change. Not that I'm inclined to be optimistic at the moment, after all I've been through." I added something condescending about the lack of general _esprit de corps_ about the place, but I'm not sure anyone heard me. My assumption was confirmed when Kate told me to stop talking to myself.

"Well, I'm sorry my standards of reasonable thought aren't quite up to scratch," cried Gyllvinae, flaring up at Nova's comment. "If there's anything we can do to please Your Highness, name your wish! I'd be honoured!" He ended with a patronising flourish, beckoning a nearby Ravenoid to come over and attend to the high-and-mighty visitor. After that, he flew off in a huff.

"Is there anything I can do, sir?" asked the somewhat confused Ravenoid, not having caught the last few minutes of conversation.

"Yes, actually, there is." said Nova firmly, astonishing the rest of us. "I'd like to see this _nonsense_ my—" He broke off, swallowed hard, then resumed his composure and continued. "—my father supposedly scribbled onto some rock."

"Aye, sir," said the Ravenoid. "Miss Sylvixius can take you to the place." He turned and bellowed in the general direction of some obscure place over to the right, something along the lines of, "Oi, Sylvix! Come show these loopy dolts where that bloody inscription is!" With that, he flew off.

Sylvixius, the Vaamprye Orbevrake, floated over with as much genteel grace as you can expect a vampire-tulip-Bakugan to possess. "So," she said in a cold, expressionless voice, "I don't suppose I really doubted that it would come to this eventually. Follow me." She turned and silently began to make her way over to the furthest of the mountains on the opposite side of the valley to that we'd entered at, which I took to be Mount Erranford.

Roximor, Nova, Kate and I shared perplexed glances, then followed along, ignoring a sudden cacophony of irritating noises from the pigeons, who had finally started to speak up again—worse luck. Kensington volunteered to stay behind, however, which would be a rather welcome break for the rest of us. "Be careful," I warned him as I started to turn a corner.

"Jolly good, old chap! Return in a timely fashion, eh?" he replied, before he was lost from sight.

* * *

"This is the place." said Sylvixius curtly, indicating a narrow patch of damp rock which, though now covered in dirt and moss, could be seen to have an untidy scrawl of random-looking scratches on its surface. Unlike other various markings and runes I'd seen on my journey, however, these didn't seem to have any point to them. No pictographs, no identifiable system or pattern, no order, sense or elegance. No rhyme or reason at all.

"Do you recognise it?" I asked Nova doubtfully, as he bent over and scraped the area free of moss and mud.

"Of course," he said in a haunted tone. "It's Vexinite, Period IV. It—it dates back to the end of the Hydranoid War, for certain."

"What does it say?" I asked in a hushed voice while Nova gazed at the markings, seemingly engrossed in reading them. He didn't answer, though. I don't think he heard me.

"What she said..." he murmured, getting up suddenly and staring past me, a faraway look in his fiery green eyes. "She was right." He refused to say another word for the entire trip back to Vatkins Loarne.

* * *

When we finally arrived back at the edge of the city, we were greeted by the charming sight of a stark-naked Kensington who appeared to be dancing the hornpipe, surrounded by twittering pigeons. "What ho, chaps!" he cried, halting his hoppings and prancings as he stood, beaming and faced us. "How went the quest?"

"What in the blue, wrinkly blazes of my great-aunt's underpants are you doing!?" I shrieked in horror, gaping at him like a love-struck goldfish.

"Errgh! That's _definitely _not the kind of welcoming party I'd pictured." said Kate, covering her eyes out of revulsion at the mere sight of—well—you can imagine it for yourself. Nova, Sylvixius and Roximor kept their composures rather spiffingly, all things considered—but then, of course, being of a different species to Kensington, I suppose there was a great deal less embarrassment for them to feel.

Kensington took our assorted reactions with his usual cheery happiness, no flicker of anything other than a vague grin spreading across his face as the six of us began to walk through the city gates, the minuscule flock of pigeons in tow.

"HAVE YOU NO SHAME?" I burst out at last, after an uncomfortable trot over to the street outside Gyllvinae's palace, followed by a minute or so of standing awkwardly around.

"Shame?" Kensington repeated with a most uncharacteristic roguish smile. "What shame? I discarded whatever shame I had long ago, dear boy!"

"Along with whatever sanity you had, I might add." mumbled Nova.

"He's right, fella. Just...put your clothes back on." I said wearily.

"I never took them off!" Kensington shrilled indignantly. Nova rolled his eyes, and I face-palmed. Kate was still understandably refusing to look at Kensington, and the other two Bakugan were staring fixedly at a spot in the air about three feet to the left of our group. At that point, Gyllvinae happened to exit the palace through the front door, and approach us, scowling heavily.

"So, been to the stone, then?" he asked discourteously. "Fat lot of good it did you, I suppose, but I couldn't care less, anyway. Will you lot just get the hell out of here? I swear, since you arrived, I've had an ongoing case of indigestion that's ten times worse than anything I've ever had in the past few bloody decades."

"Er, but we were sort of wondering if we could ask you something," I began, knowing that it wasn't any use, but thinking that there wasn't much sense in wasting our last shot.

"I'll not hear _anything_ you have to say!" Gyllvinae shouted. "And if I ever receive word of any of you entering Ventus Space again, I'll have you and any companions you might be travelling with carted straight to prison!"

I sighed, and began to set up our last portal, the one which would take us all back to Starsector. The mission was over, we'd done our best. Too bad if there were any Sektarii here, but there wasn't any point in arguing about our staying here any further to look, and to speak quite candidly, I was thinking savagely by this time that if Gyllvinae and his soldiers should get abducted and forced to serve under our enemies, then it would serve them right. The portal opened, and we prepared to enter it.

As I was about to step through, however, Kensington (still in the nude) spread his hands out dramatically and cried out in a strange, deep, and un-Kensington-like voice, "DESCENDANTS OF LEGEND, HEAR MY CRY! YOU MUST UNITE YOUR STRENGTHS AND MASTER YOUR WEAKNESSES IF YOU ARE TO OVERCOME THE CHALLENGE THAT WILL SOON BEFALL YOU! HEED MY WORDS CAREFULLY, FOR THE TIME IS NEAR AT HAND!"

Everyone within earshot had stopped, dumbstruck at these queer, strangely enchanting words. Suddenly it dawned on me why these Ventus Bakugan called Kensington the Mad Prophet.

"Lies!" screeched Gyllvinae. "Stop your mindless deceit, false one! We shall not heed you! I'll wager that _you _helped this villain—" He indicated me. "—cheat against me in our fight, you fiendish villain, you!" He continued to rant furiously on, losing all trace of reason in his rage. I saw with some concern that Kensington was reddening, and not just an ordinary blush, either, but his entire body was taking on a rosy glow as he glared back at Gyllvinae, suddenly looking far more scary than I had ever seen him look before.

At last, Gyllvinae ran out of breath and simply stood, panting and eyeing Kensington with the maniacal stare of the recently unhinged. Kensington, having taken these terrible accusations quietly enough thus far, now drew himself up until he seemed several feet taller than any of us, and screamed a horrible, haunting scream, his body flashing a dark, piercing red.

"You insolent fool!" he cried, still in his deep, unfamiliar voice. His eyes rolled back in his head, which was thrown back as though he were directing his fury to the skies above. "You have no idea who I am, you spineless, puffed-up simpleton! You disgrace your clan, your attribute and your kind! Well, I'm not going to stand for it any more, pitiful worm! See, then, who I really am, see what I am to you, and give me the respect I deserve!" With that, he rose up several metres into the air, and glowed with such an intensity that he seemed to catch fire, to be swallowed up by his anger.

The pigeons, as if on cue, all flew towards him and appeared to penetrate his chest, and then suddenly he was changing. His body, limbs and hair seemed to ripple, contort, melt and shift, morphing and expanding into something entirely different: something bigger, red, scaled, fiery... _A Bakugan_.

Staryanoid stature. Eight leathery wings, folded into an insectile position. A large golden-orange helmet-like head, with one horn protruding from behind and jutting forward. Two more horns running from above his ears, back behind his head. Ancient, bronze-like armour. A long, cocoon-like furl on the end of his tail. Green eyes that were burning with anger. I heard a slight intake of breath behind me as Nova and Roximor recognised the Bakugan, mere seconds before I did—and what a shock it was, to see the leader of legend, chief of the Six Legendary Soldiers of Vestroia himself.

"Apollonir..." Nova breathed softly. The rest of us simply stood, rooted to the spot, flabbergasted by what we'd just witnessed. Gyllvinae was stuttering to himself, no doubt thinking as the rest of us were, how we'd ridiculed and abused Kensington, who had now turned out to be Apollonir, greatest of the Soldiers. All of us felt awful to some extent, but I suspect it was Gyllvinae whose conscience was aching the most.

Apollonir landed with a soft _thud_, spread all eight wings to their fullest, bat-like extent, and uncurled the end of his tail into a huge triangular fin. His majestic gaze swept sternly over all, lingering on Nova for a split-second longer than anyone else, then finally coming to rest on Gyllvinae, whose turn it now was to tremble, except this time it was out of fear, not anger.

"So," Apollonir said darkly, "you doubt that my descendant here is as true as he would lead you to believe."

There was a collective gasp as we turned to Nova, who looked back up at Apollonir, all trace of fear or regret vanishing from his face. "It was true, then," Nova said levelly, "what my father's message said, and what Lars Lion said. I am your legacy."

"It is true." affirmed Apollonir. "You have yet to prove yourself worthy of this prestigious title, but I do not lack faith in you. Know the moment, and remember what I said before: the time is near at hand." Nova nodded, though I could see that he didn't fully understand. But now was not the time for questions. Apollonir veered around to face Gyllvinae. "You have heard me speak," he said dangerously. "Repent of all the wrong you have done to this Pyrus—and to me—and it shall be forgiven, for you weren't to know entirely what you were doing. Lose my respect again, withal, and you have lost it forever. Heed my warning, for it shall not be given twice."

Gyllvinae nodded weakly, and bowed his head in shame. A strange look crossed Nova's face, and he strode over to Gyllvinae. "As my forefather has declared, all will be forgiven," he said quietly, "and not just by Apollonir, but by me also. Peace?"

Gyllvinae started, looked up at Nova uncertainly and saw that he meant it. A small smile appeared on the giant phoenix's face. "Peace." he replied.

"Hippies." I muttered.

Apollonir, not having heard me, gave a nod of approval, and then continued his speech of supreme nobleness. "Now, I have a request to make of you, the Domutresclan." he said firmly. "Novaakii, here, and his friends, have come forth from their own dimension on a quest—that is, to recruit Bakugan to assist them in a war. I must impress upon you all the importance of winning this war, for only when all has been settled in Starsector can the balance of Vestroia, which the wicked Darcell tipped so long ago, be restored. And so I ask you, Bakugan of Ventus Space, to add your own forces to the righteous side, in aid of not just these Staryans, but also of the Bakugan who have fallen into the dark clutches of the Sektarii. Will you accept?"

You could tell from his tone that the question was merely a formality. We all knew what would happen next. Sure enough, Gyllvinae stepped forward, and said solemnly, "We would be honoured, m'lord. And you have my most sincere apologies. The whole banishment thing... It won't happen again."

Apollonir nodded a second time, and directed the Domutresthrough the portal. After that, it was just Nova, Apollonir, Kate, Roximor and me. Apollonir, not nearly as stern now as he'd been a moment before, declared himself ready to answer our enormous mountain of questions with a faint air of amusement. I took the cue to ask about the most important issue.

"WHAT IN ALL OF FLIPPING STARSECTOR WAS THE STORY WITH THAT KENSINGTON DISGUISE!?" I blurted out wildly.

Apollonir grinned suddenly, looking a lot less fierce than before. "Well, it's just an awful lot of fun, you see." he admitted. "What with living in the Doom Dimension and all, laughter is extremely hard to come by."

"And the getting naked bit?" chimed in Kate. "You thought that was fun too?"

"And the _blood makes me happy_ thing?" I added.

Apollonir shrugged. "I needed a change of atmosphere." he stated simply. "Liven things up a bit, you know?"

"Okay, that's good to hear," I said quickly (and insincerely), "but how have you managed to keep yourself intact within Vestroia for so long? Lars Lion said that you guys couldn't come out of the Doom Dimension except in special places, and I'd be hard-pressed to believe that the entire journey from Darkus Space to Ventus Space has met the required criteria."

"Well, you know those pigeons?" chuckled Apollonir.

"Those _extraordinary_ pigeons..." said Nova, with a languishing sigh.

"As a matter of fact," Apollonir uttered mysteriously, "those pigeons were actually a great deal more extraordinary than they seemed."

"Oh." I said blankly, seeing that he wasn't about to say any more on the subject.

"I have a question." Nova announced suddenly. "You mentioned a moment that was coming, and something about the descendants joining forces. What was that all about?"

"Ah," Apollonir exhaled heavily. "Well, I'm afraid it doesn't quite work that way. You lot have to figure out the puzzle for yourselves, or else the ritual will fail."

"What?" asked Nova.

"No, I've rambled too much already." Apollonir said dismissively. "I'm sorry, but I really can't elaborate further."

There was a slight pause before the next question, which came from Rox. "Do you know who has been stealing artefacts from all these different clans?" he asked. "Or why?"

"No," Apollonir told him, frowning. "Unfortunately I am clueless on that one. It's a pity Lars Lion isn't here. She might have known the answer."

"Then what about this rift?" pressed Rox. "Bakugan have been disappearing from Vestroia. One has only to look at the pitiful amounts of Bakugan gathered here to see that there are a great multitude of Ventus Bakugan missing. The story was the same in both Subterra and Haos Space, and Phyra tells me there weren't too many Bakugan in Aquos Space, either. We're sure it's because of the rift that carried the Bakugan from Vestroia to Starsector, but we don't know why this terrible void has remained open so long. Worse still, according to the Rune of Scrabulus, this rift was opened by some kind of evil. Have you any theory to make on this?"

"Well," said Apollonir grimly, "I don't know for certain, as it undoubtedly happened after my time, but I think I can say for sure that it is linked to the Hydranoid War somehow."

"The War," Nova sighed sadly. "Everything seems inevitably to come back to the War." I tried to comfort him, but he seemed preoccupied, even as Kate leaned forward to ask another question.

"Why did you even appear to us in the first place?" she asked.

"I wanted to see my descendant in person," said Apollonir simply, "but I wanted to see him for who he really was. I knew if I revealed my true self to him, he wouldn't act in his natural way before me, so I disguised myself as someone so insignificant that none of you would fear me in the least."

"Well, I'm not sure if that worked entirely," I mumbled, thinking again of the execution square in Aquos Space, "but we take your point. I have only one further question to ask of you, then."

Apollonir nodded in acknowledgement. "Ask away," he said.

"You said back in Darkus Space that you _sensed_ someone was following us," I began carefully.

"And you didn't believe me, yes. Continue." said Apollonir with a wry smile.

"Well you didn't exactly make yourself seem all that credible," I snapped before I could help myself, as my cheeks reddened. "Anyway, were you making that up, or was someone really following us?"

"No, I did not jest," said Apollonir, going serious again. "Someone—or some_thing—_really _was _following us, though they have doubtless long-since left Vestroia by now."

"Have you any idea who or what it was, then?" I cried in distress.

"No," said Apollonir soberly, "or I would have told you. No doubt, however, this mysterious follower was the very same thief who stole all those artefacts, or was at least in league with whoever it was, since, according to you, some of these objects were taken long before others."

"You know, you could be right," I mused thoughtfully. "Which leaves us with one unanswerable question: who is stealing these things, and why?"

There was a dramatic pause, then Kate said practically, "I won't bother pointing out that that's _two _questions, but I will add that there are several more: why is the rift still open? What opened it? What will Nova and the other descendants have to go through? How will this war with the Sektarii turn out? And finally..." All semblance of humour had left her now. "Finally, why does everything keep tying in with the Hydranoid War?"

* * *

Since none of us could come up with satisfactory answers to any of our questions, we decided that it was high time to be getting back to Starsector, as standing around yakking on about higher matters was not going to make the war with the Sektarii disappear.

"Will you come with us?" Nova asked of Apollonir, as Kate and Roximor stepped through the portal.

"I should like to," Apollonir answered regretfully, "but I fear I cannot. The pigeons have a lot of power, but not enough to sustain my true form in an alien dimension like Starsector. Thus I bid all of you farewell. Take care, Novaakii, and remember my words. We shall meet again, I am sure of that. Until then!" Next thing we knew, Apollonir had sliced open a passage to the Doom Dimension with his sharp claws, entered it and vanished.

"I still can't believe it was him," I murmured as Nova and I strode through the first portal together.

"Indeed." said Nova. "Who would have thought old Kensington would turn out to be a Legendary Soldier, eh?"

"It's quite, quite mad," I agreed. "You know, I never thought I'd say this, but I'm going to miss Kensington."

"Absolutely." replied Nova, as we continued to travel through the gleaming wormhole at breakneck speed.

After ten minutes or so, we caught up with Kate and Roximor. Perhaps half an hour after that, the end of the portal was in sight. "Get ready, ladies and germs!" I called flippantly. "Portal ahoy!"

"Are you calling me a germ?" growled Nova.

"Nope, I'm calling you a bacteria." I said with a troll-grin.

"But you said _germ_." he objected.

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did!"

"NO I DIDN'T!"

Before Nova could say anything more, we exited the portal by the most unspectacular means of falling out in a great heap. I couldn't do more than look around to see where we were, before there came an exuberant yell, and Captain Hackett suddenly leapt into my line of vision.

"Dudes, how'd it go, great?" he yelled waving his arms about frantically. "Wonderbubble, but listen, get out there, you lot! Stuff to do, cheesecakin' Sektarii to fight and all!"

"What are you talking about, you frantic pot-plant?" I demanded irritably, massaging my head in the spot where it had collided with the floor on my return.

"Bro, there's a battle going on _right now!_" hollered Hackett, running out of the tent—for it turned out the interdimensional teleporter system had been moved from the lab into General Hiroshai's siege quarters in our absence. As he opened the entry flap, we could indeed hear the sounds of a battle being held outside.

"What's up?" inquired Nova, who along with Roximor had turned back into a ball.

"Looks like the action ain't over yet, pal." I answered darkly.

Underneath me, Kate gave a groan, and muttered, "And here I thought we were supposed to be getting three weeks' leave when we got back."

"Problem?" I trolled.


	21. Chapter Twenty: But Not The War

**Chapter Twenty – But Not the War**

"Ability—Activate! Fiery Void!" I yelled, raising my BakuPod V2 as the card inside flashed red. Nova rose up through the sky and, rearing his head back, shot a stream of fire into the open air, creating a flaming rent in space which pulled several screaming Sektarii into it before it collapsed.

We had, about half an hour ago, picked ourselves up off the floor of the council tent. Kate and I had then scooped up Nova and Rox, and we'd hastened outside and found ourselves in the thick of what seemed to be the final battle against the Sektarii. While I'd activated the field generator setting on my BakuPod and called up my unit, Kate had contacted General Harp Darp and found that while we'd been away in Vestroia, things had steadily deteriorating. Of course, once our recruited Bakugan began arriving in Starsector, the state of our army had improved a bit, but the enemy numbers were still growing, and more than a few Bakugan had been intercepted by Sektarii scouts on reaching Starsector .

To make matters even worse, a sinister cloaked figure had appeared only a day or two ago on the battlefield, and was cutting through our men left, right and centre with silent swipes of its glittering knives. No one had seen this figure up close and survived, so it was quite hard to determine who or what it was. All we knew was that it was a lethal threat, and was an uncanny ace at evading death, capture and pursuers.

Thankfully, neither Kate nor I had come across the figure yet, and here we were in the southeast segment of the Sector, right in front of the cliffs that bordered the Outer Rim. We were fighting in the midst of hundreds of desperate soldiers and savage Sektarii, doing our best to bring our side to victory. Kate had drifted out of my line of sight for the time being, but I was too busy attending to my own unit and the business of keeping myself and Nova alive to think about her for too long.

Every now and then, I'd catch sight of one of the Bakugan I'd seen on my travels. Shilvire was fending off three Sektarii and an enemy Fear Ripper with blank, empty eyes. Vernif was butting his way through the crowd, still insulting everyone he came across. Tristos was fist-fighting with another Subterra Saurus, grunting occasionally as the other landed a particularly severe blow.

As I made my way towards Nova, loading up another card into my BakuPod, the Haos Tigrerra who had tended to Zhephyr back in Haos Space leaped over my head and sank her teeth into a Sektarus behind me, only to be slain with the lance of a Haos Siege, who growled. His blank, mesmerised eyes bored into my green eyes and showed no emotion, no remorse.

Feeling sickened, I yelled for my men to move out of the way, jumped onto Nova's back and shouted, "Blazing Dragonia!" A flurry of burning meteors rained down upon the earthy ground, crushing several Sektarii and a Darkus Reaper. The Sektarii I felt no compunction for, but I was sorry to have killed the Bakugan. Still, war causes casualties, and it couldn't be helped. I just hoped that this battle would end soon, so the carnage could stop. "Take to the skies, Nova!" I screamed.

Nova obediently spread his huge wings, and, deflecting a blow from the claws of an Aquos Mantris with his knives, flew up into the air and surveyed the chaotic scene below with sadness. My hand felt heavy, as did my heart, even while I selected another Ability and slipped it into the loading dock on the BakuPod, pressed a button and cried, "Ability—Activate! Deadly Dragon!"

Nova roared as his four blades caught fire. Then he did a complicated slice pattern, using them to form a snazzy-looking fireball, which he fired at another couple of Sektarii. No sooner had this happened, however, when we were surrounded by a flock of flying Bakugan—Ravenoids, Falconeer, Gorgonoid, Skyress, Monarii and the like. I lost sight of my unit as some twenty to thirty of these set on Nova all at once. While Nova fought back as best as he could, parrying their attacks with his blades, it was clear that we would soon be overwhelmed.

"Nova, fly higher!" I ordered, shielding my face with one hand as I used the gun on my BakuPod to stun as many Bakugan as I could hit, causing them to drop from the sky like stones (or petrified chicken legs). "We'll lose them in the clouds and double back with Inferno Strike!"

"Good plan," Nova yelled back, immediately breaking free of the mass of Bakugan and accelerating upwards, headed for a sullen grey cloud bank up above. The multitude of Bakugan followed, of course, but none of them were any match for Nova's superior speed, which he'd gained by evolving into his current form.

When we were sufficiently far away, I inserted the appropriate card into the dock and shouted the command. "Ability—Activate! Inferno Strike!" Nova gave a great, shuddering cry as fire rose up in his core and spewed out of his mouth in a great torrent, roasting several of our attackers to cinders on the spot. Most of the other Bakugan, however, ducked and spun partially out of the way, receiving only flash burns and plummeted to the ground, hopefully not fatally injuring themselves.

Just then, a lone Ninjitsu Monarus appeared from behind us with a wild, challenging cry, drawing her katanas. Nova answered her challenge with his own knives, and a flying sword fight began. As Nova got in a particularly good shot, I caught sight of the group of fangirls in skimpy pink outfits again, chanting, "GO, KNIFE, GO! GO, KNIFE, GO! GO KNIFE—"

"THAT ISN'T HELPING!" Nova bellowed at the cheerleaders, who soon spread out and resumed smacking the hell out of the enemy with their pink pom-poms. With no further distractions, Nova eventually beat the Monarus off, but not before she had torn several nasty wounds in the membrane of his right wing. "Phyra," gasped Nova, "I can't take this any more. I'll have to land!"

"Go for it, mate!" I replied, stunning a couple of rampaging Horrorclaw with my gun. Nova promptly touched down, and painfully folded his wings so they wouldn't take any more damage. I got my men to regroup, and then sent them ahead to battle a squadron of Cybertallion, using chiefly stun bolts. Then Nova and I caught sight of a howling band of Sektarii headed our way.

"I THINK WE'RE IN TROUBLE!" hollered Nova, brandishing his knives in readiness.

"YOU DON'T SAY?!" I yelled back, loading a fresh ammo clip into my gun, and also putting out the laser blade, just in case.

"TRY USING VOID PULL!" Nova suggested loudly.

"GOOD ID— Wait, why are we shouting?" I asked, as I locked 'n' loaded.

"I dunno, but get on with it, cos they're coming!" urged Nova, moving into a half-crouch, tenseness showing itself in every inch of his lissome form.

"Gate Card—Set!" I called, shooting the Gate over to an area, around ten metres from the oncoming horde. "Gate Card—Open!" I added, raising my hand like a goodie-two-shoes schoolboy. "Void Pull!" The enemy onslaught around us slowed as all nearby Sektarii and Bakugan were driven onto the Gate Card, and their power weakened. Nova went with them, of course, but he was ready for it, and so was I. "Ability—Activate!" I shouted. "Flaming Blades!"

Nova's knives caught fire, and he soon sliced through about half the enemy ranks gathered there with him. That still left a good twenty or so, though, so I decided to have a go with another tactic. "Ability—Activate! Nullify!" I cried, releasing the Bakugan on the Gate. Then I pulled out my Enhancer, and launched it out, saying, "Enhancer—Deploy!"

Alpha Turret loomed up high above the Bakugan, and its auto-defences kicked in as a range of cannons emerged from its pointed tip and started firing. Nova and I hastily moved out of the way, but the enemy troops were a tad too slow, and were blasted into oblivion.

"Come, Microgan, Pyrus Tarantulak, Pyrus Phasorak and Darkus Panferus!" I added, as the three Microgan appeared and joined in the fray with gusto. By this time, the battle was largely over, both sides having taken heavy losses. As I whipped out a Supportive Ability and slotted it into my BakuPod, Khreppe and Roximor burst into view, with Kate in tow. "Yo, Khreppe!" I called. "Did you keep that icicle safe?"

"Sorry, ya mug!" replied Khreppe, unleashing a giant jet of water that sent a pair of Tentaclear flying. "Some rotter nabbed it shortly after we arrived in Starsector!"

I cursed, then remembered the card I was about to activate. I raised my BakuPod high and pointed it at Alpha Turret, saying, "Supportive Ability—Activate! Charge Increase!" Alpha Turret, which up until now had been blasting the enemy to bits, now glowed as power surged into its batteries, and it hyper-charged to a total of seventy percent, according to my BakuPod. Then I punched another button and activated Alpha Turret, and loaded up another handful of cards. "Tarantulak and Phasorak! Connect with Nova and Alpha Turret!" I commanded.

Phasorak promptly entered Alpha Turret's hub, and the entire thing changed into a massive robot, which began stomping on all enemies within its line of sight. Tarantulak, meanwhile, attached itself to Nova's tail. Nova then began whipping said tail around like a mace, killing two Sektarii and wounding several more. My unit returned, having quelled the fury of the Cybertallion, and I directed them next to the aid of some other Staryans struggling against a mass of Sektarii who were packing some rather serious fire-power.

"Double Micro Ability, plus Ultimate Ability—Activate!" I then screamed, the screen on my BakuPod shining with an intense white light as the cards activated. "Wildcat Fury, plus Arachnid Lance, plus Winged Flaming Phasor!"

Due to the enhancing effect, the strength of the cards I activated was almost doubled, and their effects, once they'd resolved, were exceedingly powerful. Panferus roared and sliced through several rows of Sektarii soldiers with his sharp metal claws, while Tarantulak's legs changed from a mace formation to a a lance-like formation on the end of Nova's tail, swivelling to the sides and extending, something like an elongated _H_ shape. Meanwhile, the robot that had previously been Alpha Turret now expanded several panels from its shoulder joints, forming enormous wings. Phasorak's head emerged from the hub at the top, and twin sets of cannons appeared on the robot's shoulders and forearms.

Alpha Turret then took to the air, and was shortly joined by Omega Striker, who had coupled with Eagoroth and undergone a similar change. Together, the two flew over the enemy army, blasting them with laser bolts. However, the Sektarii weren't without AA cannons, and eventually the robots were brought crashing down in a pillar of fire and smoke.

I turned to take stock of my surroundings and was violently startled to find myself facing a large, purple Sektarus with a crested head and a number of black markings covering his body. I had seen his like once or twice before in my life, but it was neither a common nor a welcome sight. _"Hi, ssscum."_ he said, waving an airy claw at me.

"Beg yours?" I said very politely, and took a step back, priming my gun.

"_I jussst called you ssscum."_ the Sektarus explained, staring at me with cold, amber eyes rather like a cat's. In fact, he had a faintly feline air about him altogether, I thought, though he was neither cute nor cuddly. _"And now I think I shall call my Bakugan over here to kill you."_

"You won't be doing that yourself, then?" I inquired pleasantly, ducking as a laser missile flew over my head and someone screamed.

"_Nah,"_ said he. _"I generally prefer to have my minionsss do that for me. _He then turned and called over his shoulder._ "OI! NIVAWK! COME KILL THISSS HERE SSSCUM, OKAY?"_ I was forced to hit the ground as a large, feathered, bat-like Bakugan swooped over me and then shot off into the distance. Looking at it from behind, I thought maybe it was a highly evolved Reaper variant, but I wasn't certain. The Sektarus, meanwhile, let fly a volley of oaths. _"Sssorry,"_ he said at last, _"he getsss like that sssometimesss."_

"No probs." I said. "I didn't fancy getting killed today anyway."

The Sektarus seemed about to reply, but then one of his fellows screamed at him, _"PHANTOSSS, WHAT THE FROOT-LOOP ARE YOU DOING, FRATERNISSSING WITH THAT TWERP!? GET YOUR PURPLE ARSSSE BACK OVER HERE NOW!"_

The purple Sektarus, whose name was apparently Phantos, cursed again. _"Um, yeah,"_ he said, _"I'll sssee you round, ssscum. Or maybe not, cosss I have a pool party to get to later. Take care."_ And with that, he left, and I thought to myself that the entire conversation had been very, very weird. But I decided to think no more of it and continued looking around.

By this time, the numbers on the battlefield were drastically reduced. About half of my unit had been wiped out during the course of the day, which lowered my mood even further. That wasn't the half of it, either. The majority of our troops were Bakugan, with very few officers left to guide them, leaving our side disorderly and confused, whereas there were not only a great multitude of Sektarii left to direct their Bakugan, but also, said Bakugan were being controlled, mindlessly following their sick masters' orders, so there was plenty of discipline on _their_ side. Looking around, I could see that things were getting worse by the minute, and at this rate, there was no way we could win without a miracle...

At last, as the sun set, I heard the signal to retreat. "Pull back!" I yelled to the straggling members of my unit. "Head back to camp!" There was a scattered chorus of acknowledgements as they heard the signal and began running back to our military encampment up on top of the cliffs, right at the edge of the Outer Rim, where our final line of defence lay.

* * *

"Man the cannons!" roared General Harp Darp. "Fire at will! ...And somebody get me a flamin' whiskey and soda!"

"Aye, Sir Harpalot!" grinned Captain Hackett, jogging off to retrieve the requested beverage, while the rest of us hastened towards the cannons. The _cannons_, in fact, weren't actually cannons at all, but enormous catapults that hurled flaming boulders, pickles, recently deceased grandmothers, cows, and all manner of other fascinating projectiles into the midst of the enemy troops.

Amid the uproar and random screaming as the remainder of our officers set about pouring oil over great lumps of miscellaneous rubbish, setting them alight and firing them into the air, I wandered aimlessly about, feeling more than a little dejected. It was perfectly clear to me that we were going to lose this fight—for what options did we have, after all? There was no point in trying to get up a sortie. We'd only succeed in getting beaten like a dozen eggs...and after that, who could tell what would happen? No doubt the king would be murdered and our entire race enslaved or exterminated or some other generic fate like that. Worse than this was the thought that our Bakugan would be dragged into the thing with us.

I felt terrible to have persuaded so many Bakugan to leave Vestroia, only to see them ultimately meet their deaths _en masse_. Having reached this conclusion, I decided to seek out the leaders of the clans we'd met and tell them how very sorry I was at how everything had turned out so badly. My determination may or may not have been reasonable thinking, but the situation was grim, and war affects everyone in many different ways. I found Nova, then beckoned to a couple of passing Cybertallion to come over and see me.

"I need to find the Bakugan leaders who came here, as many of them as possible," I said to the three Bakugan. "Tristos, Ahryall, Heriale, Shilvire, Budgie-Smugglers, Khreppe and Gyllvinae. Oh yes, and the biggest of the Darkus Hydranoids. Can you three help me find them?"

"Tristos and Shilvire were killed," volunteered one of the Cybertallion. "I saw them felled by a flock of Harpii not an hour ago. The Hydranoids, too. I'm not sure about the others, though."

I felt a horrible jolt in the pit of my stomach at this terrible news, but managed to maintain a calm appearance on the outside. "Very well," I said slowly. "What about you two?" I nodded to Nova and the other Cybertallion. "Have either of you learned what became of the others?"

"Budgie Smugglers is wounded seriously, and Gyllvinae is also dead." said Nova, bowing his head sorrowfully. "I saw Budgie being carried over to the medics' tent, and Gyllvinae was slain not long before that band of flying Bakugan attacked me. I know that Ahryall and Khreppe are alright, however."

"Yes," said the second Cybertallion, "and Heriale made it back alive, too. I saw him returning with Fyrran and Sylvixius, around ten minutes ago."

"Alright," I said after a moment. "Bring Fyrran, Ahryall, Heriale, Khreppe and Sylvixius, then. I must speak with them."

"Certainly, sir." murmured the two Cybertallion, and they strode off.

Nova, however, stayed a moment, eyeing me intently. "Are you okay?" he asked at last.

"Not really," I said, shrugging. As I ceased speaking, I stared blankly out over the corpse-covered battlefield. I didn't really focus on it, though, and it became a blend of darks and lights to my eyes, punctuated by large patches of red here and there where blood stained the ground. "I mean, I'll survive." I added. "For a while, at least, but you know...it's all so hopeless, and there's so much death. What is the point of war, anyway? It seems to accomplish nothing but a horrific waste of life, to my eyes."

Nova nodded wisely to himself before answering. "I don't know the definite answer to that question," he said, voice heavy with sadness, eyes sparkling with unshed tears. "I think men declare war when they feel they have no other option save to submit to things they don't agree with."

"Maybe you're right, buddy," I sighed. "What a world it would be if people could settle their differences peaceably, though! So many lives would be spared, and all could live in peace and harmony..."

"You're talking like a hippie again," Nova reminded flatly, breaking me out of my reverie.

"Fine," I said briskly. "I imagine standing around isn't going to find these Bakugan, now is it? C'mon, let's go and look for them."

"What are you planning on saying to them?" asked Nova curiously.

"Me?" I rejoined innocently, turning and setting off. "Nothing outrageous or lubricious, don't worry."

"Do you even know what _lubricious_ means?" Nova wondered as we walked.

"No..." I said absently. "I thought it had something to do with cheese, right?"

Nova merely rolled his eyes.

* * *

"Well, now that we're all here," I said nervously, looking around at the small circle of Bakugan gathered before me in the wooden shack that served as the general conference room, "I just wanted to, er, apologise to you for involving you in this. Don't get me wrong, we're awfully grateful for your help and all, but seeing what a mess we're in right now, I think it would have been better not to involve you Bakugan in a fight that wasn't yours. I'm sorry."

There was a stunned silence at my words, as the Bakugan present either stared at me blankly, or exchanged glances with each other. At last, Heriale spoke up. "Don't be absurd, Phyra." he said sharply. "How can you say that this isn't our fight when, as you pointed out to us in Vestroia, we are battling not just to help you, but also to free our brothers and sisters? How could you possibly make out that the battle is not ours when the facts before you so clearly disprove your point? And besides, you didn't drag us wailing and kicking out of Vestroia. All you did was ask, and we followed you of our own inclination. Not that it did much good, it seems," he added with a sigh. "Perhaps this battle is one that we cannot win. One can never tell... But you should not apologise for a fault you do not bear."

"I..." I trailed off, not knowing what to say to this. Perhaps I wasn't quite as articulate as I liked to think.

"Well, if that's all," said Khreppe, "perhaps we should turn our minds to the contemplation of a solution to this barbaric problem."

"Say what?" interjected Sylvixius. "You're talking jargon."

"Well, as I've just become a self-professed socialite, I've decided that jargon is better than slang." huffed Khreppe. "It sounds more sophisticated."

"Sophisticated my fifth eyeball," snorted Sylvixius. "At least when you talk slang, people have some hope of actually understanding you."

"Like the Doom Dimension," said Khreppe hotly. "_Proper_ people, who actually have some grasp over their language and therefore don't _need_ to resort to vulgarity, won't understand you."

"As if _you _have any grasp—" began Sylvixius, but was cut off as Heriale hastily intervened with, "Look, this isn't getting us any closer to winning this war—if that can even be done, which I highly doubt."

"If you highly doubt it, then why are you blooming-well here?" retorted Sylvixius.

"Because it is my place." said Heriale simply, to general eye-rolling from a couple of pigeons perched on the window sill. Suddenly, I caught sight of said pigeons and felt a jolt inside of me, as these pigeons sparked a memory in my head: _"DESCENDANTS OF LEGEND, HEAR MY CRY! YOU MUST UNITE YOUR STRENGTHS AND MASTER YOUR WEAKNESSES IF YOU ARE TO OVERCOME THE CHALLENGE THAT WILL SOON BEFALL YOU!"_

"Nova," I said quickly, "remember back in Ventus Space, when Apollonir was still masquerading as Kensington, he said something about the descendants uniting strengths and mastering weaknesses? And later, when he'd revealed himself..."

"He said something about a ritual." finished Nova. "Yes, I remember. What of it?"

"Do you think this could be the challenge he was talking about?" I asked soberly. "Can this be the time for the ritual? After all, all six of you are here, right?"

"What in Code Eve's name are you blathering on about?" asked Fyrran.

"Yes, pray tell." said Khreppe, assuming an air of grandness. "That would be perfectly smashing—if you'll pardon my Vexinite."

"It's rather complicated," said Nova, "but, you see, Apollonir came to us in Ventus Space. You were there, right, Sylvixius?"

"I was," acknowledged Sylvixius. "Do go on."

"And you heard him, while he was disguised as Kensington, also known as the Mad Prophet—"

"The _what!?_" exploded Heriale.

"I regret to say that we Ventus Bakugan ostracised Kensington, not knowing that he was really Apollonir." said Sylvixius. "We thought he was merely a troublemaker—for he was constantly preaching doom and destruction, like any mad prophet, and so he basically took that on as a _nom de plume _of sorts."

"That doesn't sound much like Apollonir, to do that sort of thing," Heriale mused.

"Who can tell?" Ahryall pointed out, speaking for the first time. "It is not as if any of us knew him personally."

"We're getting off-track here," Nova pressed. "The point is, Apollonir told us that a challenge would soon arise, and we, the descendants of the Legendary Soldiers, would have to unite together to form some sort of ritual in order to overcome this trial, whatever that might have been. Now, I think it is a credible theory that this battle before us ("Around us, more like," grumbled Fyrran) is the challenge he spoke of. Our only problem, then, is how this ritual works. Has anyone any ideas?"

No one said anything to that. Everyone was immersed in their own private thoughts, whatever those might have been. I suspect Sylvixius wasn't thinking along the same lines as everyone else, though, from the way she was muttering to herself about some "sugarplum" stealing her "bacon-cakes". Just as I was beginning to think that we'd never get to the bottom of this, Ahryall and Fyrran suddenly both gasped, and then blurted out simultaneously, "Could it be the _Doublenode_ Ritual?"

"The _what?_" cried everyone else.

"It is said that if you have one Bakugan of each Attribute linked telepathically," said Fyrran, "then the balance of elements will be in perfect harmony, allowing the minds of these Bakugan to leave the physical world and enter the realm of the spirits—whether the Nether World or the Doom Dimension—through telekinetic travel."

"Exactly," added Ahryall, "and using such a ritual, you can probe the minds of your ancestors, establishing what you people of Starsector might call _psychic contact_. You can converse with the dead, learn their secrets...access their powers..."

"That's it!" I exclaimed, seeing the light. "Apollonir must have meant that you six should perform the ritual, and gain control of the power of the Legendary Soldiers. Surely, that must be right!"

"Surely," echoed Fyrran. "There is but one problem, however: to successfully complete the ritual, the six Bakugan must be in the correct state of mind—that is, fully believing the ritual will work, and ready to discard all worldly fears and ambitions in exchange for a higher train of thought. I for one do not think I am ready for such a mountainous task."

"Well, what about the rest of you?" I asked desperately.

"I fear that the loss of my father may disturb my concentration," said Ahryall quietly. "He has been plaguing my thoughts recently—and I will not be able to sustain the telepathic strength required for long if this persists."

"And how do we even know if this will work?" demanded Heriale. "Have any Bakugan ever succeeded in pulling off such a crazy stunt?"

"No," whispered Ahryall, almost inaudibly. "It was only ever attempted once. The Bakugan who tried it were unsuccessful, and perished from the mental strain."

"Is that even possible?" I gasped. "Dying from _mental strain_, of all things?"

"Telepathy is a mysterious force, not to be trifled with." replied Fyrran seriously.

"And what sort of relation do we have to hold with the other Bakugan performing the ritual?" asked Sylvixius, glaring at Khreppe and Nova. "Cos if I have to get all buddy-buddy with _those_ two, you've got another bloody thing coming."

"Just what are you implying?" Nova growled threateningly.

"Oh, nothing, of course," said Sylvixius, continuing to glower at him. "Only that _you're_ a coward."

"Still packing that grudge, are we?" snarled Nova. "Well, I don't have to put up with this if I don't want to." With that, he stormed out of the room, leaving a shocked silence behind him. Sylvixius made a disgusted noise and turned away, hunching her petals up behind her so that she looked like a demented vulture.

"Look," I said at last, "can you lot wait for me outside the lab, while I go and fetch Nova?" There was a faint chorus of assent, and the Bakugan slowly filed out of the room. I heaved a sigh, then set off to find Nova. I eventually caught up with him near the medics' tent on the opposite embankment to the meeting room. He was sitting on a low stone bench, tail and wings sagging dejectedly. On the outside, he merely looked a little depressed, but I could tell that inside, he was deeply hurt. I walked over and sat beside him for a moment, not saying anything. He didn't make any sign to show that he'd noticed me, but that didn't matter. He knew I cared.

"I know you probably hate Sylvixius for saying that," I said after perhaps five minutes of awkward quietness, "and I wouldn't blame you, to be honest, but—"

"No," interrupted Nova. "I don't hate her, because she's right. I am a coward."

"You _were_," I corrected. "Once. Not any more. I've seen you with my own eyes, Nova, and believe me, you're brave, braver than I could ever be. But that's not all that matters. You're also kind, caring and selfless. Once upon a time, you were scared, and you only cared about yourself—a shortcoming that all of us possess to some degree, I might add. But you've changed, and that's what counts. You'd never make that same mistake again."

Nova looked up at that. "No," he said again, as he rose slowly to his feet, eyes burning. "I'd never make it again, even if my life depended upon it."

My impromptu pep session was over, but even as we made our way over to the lab, I found that the conversation hadn't quite given me the feeling of satisfaction I was hoping for. Nova's words kept ringing in my ears, though I couldn't figure out why. _"Even if my life depended on it."..._

* * *

"Okay," I said. "You all know what to do, right?" A stream of mingled affirmations issued from the six Bakugan, who were standing in a circle—Nova, Fyrran, Ahryall, Heriale, Khreppe and Sylvixius.

Nova and I had found all five Bakugan waiting for us in front of the lab, as I'd asked. On coming into view, Sylvixius had rushed over and presented an apology. "I'm awfully sorry about what happened," she'd said sadly. "It's just that we've been in such a negative frame of mind up in Ventus Space for so many years, now, it's hard not to snap at people all the time. Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?"

"Of course," Nova had replied graciously. "I hope we can bury the hatchet from this day forth."

"So do I," she had agreed, before adding, "but just not in anyone's head."

After that, I assembled the Bakugan in what Ahryall and Fyrran told me was the required fashion, and we were now preparing to start the ritual. "Reach out with your minds, brethren!" cried Fyrran. "Try to find each other's thoughts!" There was a tense silence as the six Bakugan strained to let go of their bodies, allowing their minds to wander. One by one, however, each Bakugan slumped, exhausted even at this feeble attempt.

"I knew this was no good." said Heriale sadly.

I started to reply, but my voice was drowned out by an alarm which sounded off suddenly.

"It's that cloaked freak!" screamed a passing officer, waving his arms about wildly as he fled. "And it's brought a bloody great battalion of reinforcements with it!" With a sinking heart, I strode over to the edge of the cliff we were situated on, preparing for the worst. Sure enough, I espied some three hundred or so Sektarii in the valley below, all armed to the teeth—even past the teeth, for that matter. At their head, I could make out the huge black profile of the "Hitman", as people were calling it, cloak flapping about in the breeze, and a glint of silver sparkling fiercely at its wrists as the tip of its blades caught the sun's rays.

'Twas then that I cried out, knowing that the ritual was our last hope. Somehow, without meaning to, I echoed Apollonir's words, for deep down, I guess I knew that they were appropriate... "Descendants of legend, hear my cry! You must unite your strengths and master your weaknesses! NOW!"

The six Bakugan, all wearing looks of alarm, turned back to face the middle of their circle and tried harder than ever to contact each other. After a breath-taking moment, Fyrran suddenly stood bolt upright, his eyes taking on an eerie white glow, limbs coming to a shuddering halt and staying completely still. _He must have managed it!_ I thought. Sure enough, Khreppe, who was facing Fyrran, soon took on the same appearance, his eyes turning pure white, his body stiffening like a corpse. Ahryall was next, followed by Sylvixius... Now only Heriale and Nova needed to connect.

I could see drops of sweat trickling down Nova's face and falling to the ground with tiny splashes, unheard above the uproar that had arisen as the officers stationed at the catapults doubled their firing speed. Another minute or two passed, and then Heriale had done it... I could hear the faint screams of dying Sektarii and Bakugan alike, as the deadly missiles continued to fly...

And then Nova had connected! All six Bakugan were now mentally linked, and the ritual was ready to begin. I could see the bodies of the Bakugan shining as the elements within them united to create a flawless whole. Then there was a stretch of about fifteen minutes, during which nothing else happened. I assumed that the minds of the Bakugan were travelling to meet their ancestors now.

Sure enough, each of the Bakugan twitched suddenly, and then they were shouting... "LEGENDARY SOLDIERS, LEND US YOUR STRENGTH!" The Bakugan flashed and rose up into the air, borne, it seemed, on invisible wings. Their eyes closed, then opened again, now their natural colours.

"Come, my brothers and sisters!" shouted Nova. "Let us finish these loathsome tyrants—together!" The six Bakugan reared up and called out, activating the six ultimate Attribute Abilities, known to have been used previously only by the Legendary Soldiers...

"_TURMOIL!"_ cried Sylvixius, unleashing an enormous gust of wind.

"_AQUOS CYCLONE!"_ screeched Khreppe, creating a huge water tornado.

"_FINAL WIZARD!"_ boomed Heriale, spewing out a torrent of darkness.

"_SAGGITARIUS ARROW!"_ called Ahryall, shooting forward an arrow of light.

"_ATOMIC BLADE!"_ yelled Fyrran, tossing out his axe, which had turned to stone and was now glowing, like magma.

"_MAXIMUM PYRUS!"_ roared Nova, breathing a huge stream of fire.

These six separate attacks combined into one great multicoloured burst of energy, which bore down hard upon the army of Sektarii and collided with the ground beneath them, creating a huge mushroom cloud, too bright to look at. We all ran for cover, shielding our eyes as we dived into the bomb shelters... To our astonishment, however, the blast didn't reach us. When the light had died down, we all went over to the edge again to look at what had happened, and saw...nothing_. _The Sektarii had all been vaporised.

* * *

"We...we did it?" breathed General Harp Darp, clutching an unfinished whiskey and soda to his breast as he marvelled at the scorched battlefield below us.

"I think we did," I sighed, mopping my brow with a stray pigeon.

"Sir, we've rounded up the last of the enslaved Bakugan." announced an officer, rushing over. "All of them have come out of whatever trance those Sektarii threw them into."

"Capital effort!" beamed the general. "My word, you subalterns are conscientious! I've half a mind to give an extemporaneous speech and promote you all." The officer flinched and excused himself hurriedly. "Was it something I said?" asked the bewildered Hiroshai, as he watched the officer run off screaming.

"Pay him no attention," I said dismissively. "He has hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia."

"Come again?"

"A morbid fear of long words, I believe."

"Oh."

At that moment, someone gave a piercing shriek. The two of us whipped around just in time to see the Hitman yank his blades out of Ahryall's chest.

"Ahryall!" I screamed, running stupidly over to try and help, though I knew it was useless when I saw the blood drain from Ahryall's face as she collapsed. Luckily, before I could get close enough to the cloaked figure to get killed, I found my way blocked by Fyrran and a couple of Subterra Bakugan—a Rattlesnake and a Mutant Mantris—who uttered a loud challenge to the Hitman, readying themselves for an attack.

The dark figure turned slowly to face the Bakugan. It gave a malicious snicker and began to walk slowly in our direction, taking a vicious swipe or two at a couple of unfortunate officers who had been trying to move out of the way. As blood splattered onto the ground, I felt a hot rage rise up inside of me, and if I hadn't already known that it was futile, I would probably have rushed at the Hitman and tried to tear it to pieces with my bare hands. Since that wasn't an option right now, however, I was forced to watch as Fyrran and the other two Bakugan gave a great cry and darted towards the Hitman.

The Mantris shot cords of energy from its claws and bound the Hitman tightly, so that it couldn't move its arms. Then the Rattlesnake slithered nimbly forward and coiled himself around the Hitman, crushing the cloaked psychopath in his deadly embrace. Fyrran raised his axe—having recovered it earlier—and prepared to deal the final blow. Just before he did, however, a highly disturbing realisation came to me: the Hitman wasn't making a sound_. _If this had been any other sort of creature, it would have been screaming with pain, or gasping for breath as the Rattlesnake cracked its bones...but not the Hitman. It remained silent and eerie, red eyes gleaming beneath the hood of its cloak.

I had just come to the irrevocable conclusion that this figure was no ordinary being, when Fyrran gave a yell and swung his axe hard and true, attempting to decapitate the Hitman. The axe blade had gone no further than a foot or two in the air, however, when Fyrran suddenly dropped it and made a horrible, strangled noise, like a man dying of lethal poisoning. Seconds later, the Rattlesnake screamed in agony and went limp, its head falling to the ground like a stone.

I stumbled forward with a cry and saw that the Hitman had ripped through the Rattlesnake's coils with his sharp knives and pierced the one weak spot in Fyrran's armour: the slit between the helm and the breastplate. Both Fyrran and the Rattlesnake were dead.

The Hitman shook itself free of the Rattlesnake's coils, and leapt at the Mantris with more speed than I'd have imagined was possible for a living creature. The Mantris didn't stand a chance. Three slashes was all it took for the Hitman to reduce the ill-fated Bakugan to a pile of bony, deformed limbs. I'll never forget what it looked like when the light died from its eyes as the fearsome blade laid open its body, revealing the gruesome sight of bones, white against the blood that was now spilling everywhere.

"You," I whispered. "What kind of twisted monster _are_ you?" The Hitman fixed its gleaming red eyes on me, and I saw a creature who would continue to kill until it was the only living thing left in the world if it needed to. I screwed my eyes shut, expecting death to overtake me at last...but it didn't come. Opening my eyes, I saw the Hitman heading in the opposite direction, seemingly looking for something. I quickly rounded up as many survivors as I could find, and got them underground, where hopefully they'd be safe for the present. Then I took off running to find Nova. We had a Hitman to fight.

* * *

I found Nova sitting in the kiosk, drinking heavily from an enormous flagon which appeared to contain one of the most legendary alcoholic drinks known to Staryans and Bakugan alike: the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster.

"There you are!" I burst out. "I've been looking for you everywhere!"

"What is it?" asked Nova, confused. "Bessy's not here. I looked."

"What are you rambling on about?" I cried. "The Hitman's in our midst, killing people left, right and centre, and you sit here drinking flaming Gargle Blaster and blathering nonsense about people who don't exist!"

"Sorry, Charlie, my wives are all cussed up," muttered Nova, fumbling around with his flagon, which fell to the floor and shattered, spilling Gargle Blaster all over the timber.

"Hee hee hee!" giggled a random bystander. "Look at the silly great dragon. He's so soused, he doesn't know if he's Arthur or Martha."

"This is no laughing matter, blast it!" I screamed. "This is a matter of life and death!" With that, I grabbed hold of Nova by the tail and attempted to drag him out of the kiosk. I failed miserably of course, but Nova seemed to rouse himself, and, getting up laboriously, he followed me out of the door. We soon located the trail of blood and corpses that the Hitman had left behind it. Following that for a while, we located the Hitman, which was hacking its way into General Hiroshai's quarters.

"Hey, you!" I bellowed, blasting it with a hail of lasers from my gun. The lasers merely rebounded off its dark cloak, forcing me to duck, but I succeeded in getting it's attention. It turned and stared at Nova, who was still mumbling incoherently.

Then for the first time, the Hitman spoke. _"Novaakii."_

Nova snapped into focus immediately, staring wildly at the Hitman. "I—I know that voice," he said, sounding choked.

"_Novaakii..." _the Hitman repeated.

"_Reshkis, Hylarai?" _asked Nova, cocking his head.

"_I have been waiting long for thee, Novaakii."_

"Hylar?" repeated Nova, almost pleadingly.

"_Come to me, Novaakii."_

"Is it really you, Dad?" cried Nova. "Is it you?" The Hitman's eyes flickered, and it pulled its hood down, revealing a face that looked just like Nova's, except for the eyes, those cold, red eyes... "Dad! You're alive!" Nova shrieked, running forward, arms held out in eager embrace...

With one swift, fluid movement, Hylar lashed out with his knives, running their sharp blades down the side of Nova's face. Nova pulled up short, blood pouring from his wound. "Father?" he appealed, tears mixing with the blood. "Why?" Hylar gave a puckish grin, then threw off his cloak entirely, revealing... "You're not..." whimpered Nova.

A small, supple body. Large wings, long tail, flexible armour...and four long blades...

It was another Nova.

"You!" snarled Nova, lunging at the impostor with his knives. The other merely parried with his own weapons, proving that he had not only Nova's looks, but his skill, too. "You fiendish bastard!" howled Nova, slashing haphazardly. "That bit of raggery was crueller than Darcell on a _sugar high!_"

The pretender merely gave another terrible smile and blocked several more blows, before returning with one of his own that stabbed into Nova's chest, and sent him crashing to the ground. The sham then snatched hold of Nova's head, and pinned him against the wooden wall of the armoury, his blades held to the wounded dragon's throat. I wanted with all my heart to stop this loathsome charlatan, to free my guardian and make everything right again...but I was rooted to the spot, and my body wouldn't obey me.

I could see that Nova had clearly admitted defeat. His arms hung limp beside him and as blood and tears continued to flow, he closed his eyes and remained figuratively dead to the world—though soon he would be for real. The pseudo-Nova grinned gloatingly, and as he prepared to finish the real Nova off, he whispered, in a voice that dripped with malice, _"Prepare to meet thy father in the Doom Dimension, Novaakii. As my master hath destroyed thy master's forebears, so shall I destroy thee."_

At that, Nova gave a long, loud scream of pain and hatred, and leaped up, swinging his blades around to tear across the other's chest. The impostor, being taken off-guard, tried to move out of the way, but succeeded only in shifting back enough so that Nova's knives ripped though his throat. The false Nova let out a soft moan, then collapsed. Nova gave a great, shuddering sigh, then slumped back against the wall, shaking uncontrollably. Suddenly, I found my voice, and managed to utter one word.

"Astronomical." I croaked.

"What?" asked Nova, looking up.

"Uh," I said with a feeble smile. "That is, the odds of him beating you were astronomical." Nova didn't reply, but stared down into the dust, still trembling. "Er...are you going to be alright?" I ventured hesitantly. He didn't say anything, so I turned back to the body of the sham-Nova, deciding to see if I could find any evidence that could lead us to find out where this mysterious impostor had come from. Before I had taken two steps, however, there was a blinding flash, and the body exploded.

Nova quickly rose to his feet, no doubt expecting to see the false Nova arisen or something, but when the flash had disappeared, we found nothing but a huge, charred bloodstain, and a small collection of obscure objects, all with the same rather strange aura about them. There wasn't time to do anything other than cart them off to Hiroshai's quarters, however, when Nova suddenly turned pale and keeled over, gasping. Seeing that he was still losing blood, I hailed Kate and Roximor, who luckily happened to be wandering around in search of us, and together we got Nova safely over to the medics.

* * *

"So," Kate said soberly, as we stood around Nova's bed. "Does this mean it's finally over? The Hitman's gone, and so are the Sektarii, the surviving Bakugan are all free...will the shadow of death finally leave us?"

"Who can say?" I murmured. "The Sektarii aren't _all_ gone, and we've yet to find out more about that Hitman. I've a feeling this isn't yet over. In fact, it's probably only just begun."

"Perhaps," said Kate, smiling slightly, "but for now, the time of sorrow is over, and the time for rejoicing has begun. The dead are gone, but the living remain."

"I'll drink to that," I said, producing a flask of General Harp Darp's whiskey and downing it as the tension from all that had happened suddenly poured out of me, leaving only relief. "May I escort you to the victory dance?"

"Why, most certainly, sir." she said happily.

I grinned back, and might even have taken her hand if Nova hadn't sat up suddenly and given a shirty grunt of, "Now really, you two. Enough soppy romance crap over my sickbed. It's a danger to my delicate disposition."

Kate and I weren't at all romantic, but since Nova was feeling out of sorts, we humoured him and left the tent with Roximor in tow.

* * *

A day or two later, I met with Kate in the makeshift assembly hall. I'd dressed in my best, and brought a whining Nova along, though he was now back in ball form since we'd switched off all the field generator devices. They were, after all, awfully expensive to run, and the generals all prefer that the money be spent on shiploads of whiskey.

I found Kate by the refreshment stand, with Roximor close by her side. She was attired in a pretty, flowing dress of a midnight blue colour, with trailing sleeves and a soft velvety look. Her hair was down, and she was actually wearing earrings. I realised then that I was looking at the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. "Sweetheart," I said huskily, "you are without a doubt the best thing that has ever happened to me."

As Kate blushed, I pulled out an electric guitar, and regardless of who was watching, proceeded to serenade this object of my affections. When the song was over, I cried, "Come to me, lady, and make my dreams come true!" Then I bolted forwards, arms held out. Kate started, then put her arms out too, just as I rushed over, whipped past her, and immersed myself in the scrumptious triple-decker iced chocolate cake I'd been fixing my eye on for the past fifteen minutes.

"Wha—?" Kate stuttered, as I rolled my eyes to better express my pleasure and gave a heartfelt moan.

"Finally," I sniffled, "no more blooming weird food! Oh, run away with me, my love!"

"**WHYYOULOWDOWNSONOFABLICKINGBASTARDPONCINGMAGICIANS LIPPERYOUHOWCOULDYOUDOTHATTOMEYOUUNGRATEFULPIECEOF PATHETICBRAINTRIGGERINGPOWWOWRODENTSLIMEDINGBATIDI OTARAMAFREAKINGDODO...**" Kate continued to screech like that for about twenty minutes, while the two Bakugan both laughed until they cried. I ignored them all until I'd finished the entire cake, then stared at the three of them for a moment, and said, "Did somebody say something back there? Katelyn, was that you?"

"Don't bloody call me that!" screeched Kate, still seething. "How'd you even know that was my real name?"

"Barracks records." I smirked. "I must say, it was a _fascinating_ find. Why so ashamed, anyway? Katelyn isn't _that_ bad a name. Why, you could've been called _L-A_, or _ABCD_*." Kate just gave a refined sniff, grabbed Rox, and huffed away to go and ask one of the officers to dance. I stared after her, then shrugged, and beckoned to Nova. "Where are we going?" he asked.

"Well," I said, casting an eye over at the bar, "a good beer wouldn't go astray... I'm off to see the Wizard."

"Come again?" he asked, mystified.

"Off to get crissed as a picket," I reiterated impatiently. "Drunk as a lord, stoned, potted, sozzled, whatever you like to call it. Take your pick."

"Oddball." Nova muttered.

"Care to come?" I grinned.

"No." came the surly reply.

"Suit yourself." I sang out gaily, setting off. "Farewell to thee, I'm off like a bride's nightie!"

"More like a bucket of prawns left out in the sun." grumbled Nova to himself, before spontaneously hooking up with a passing Ninjitsu Monarus and inviting her out for a dance. Meanwhile, I'd approached the bar.

"What's yer poison?" rumbled the bartender.

"Grog." I replied shortly. "By the barrel."

Captain Hackett came over at that point and we started singing sea shanties together, starting with 'The Song of the Jolly Rock Lighthouse'. My worries weren't yet put to rest, but life was good, nonetheless.

* * *

It was several days after the victory dance. We'd packed up our siege camp, and were now living comfortable back in our own houses and such, up in the City of Reim. However, Kate, Rox, Nova and I were on this day visiting the main laboratory at our military headquarters, on the northeast sect of the Central Octagon, and had summoned the remaining descendants of the Legendary Soldiers together to ask them about the strange items we had found after the Hitman had exploded.

All the surviving Bakugan had, by the bye, volunteered to remain in Starsector and train awhile with new recruits to the army and such, for while the rift remained open, there was no point in sending Bakugan to Vestroia if they were only to be brought back into Starsector, and worse, into the hands of the Sektarii—for General Harp Darp had sent out reconnaissance teams to look for the rift opening. They hadn't found it, but it was confirmed that this rift was neither in the Star nor the Outer Rim which could only mean that it was in the Sector.

While we were waiting for the rest of the descendants, I ventured to make polite conversation. "So, um, how'd it go at the dance?" I asked awkwardly.

"You mean after you dropped me for a bloody two-tiered fancy-iced dessert piece?" Kate snorted contemptuously.

"Exactly." I replied, unfazed.

"Rather well, actually." she said calmly. "That Lieutenant Valentine Bircham is such a great dancer, and _terribly _romantic."

I refrained from rolling my eyes with some difficulty. "What, him? That triple-toned semi-primate from up the water-ways?"

"Yeah, him." said Kate calmly.

"My good-but-infatuated woman, that dolt is such a con-artist, he could sell refrigerators to the Southern Ice-Dwellers," I asserted, "but underneath, he's so thick he wouldn't know his fist from his fingernail!"

"Jealous, are we?" Kate snickered, with just a hint of smugness.

"Of _him?_" I scoffed. "Not likely. I just don't want _you _to start acting like a silly great crumpet."

"Oh, I'm _so _convinced. And who're you calling a crumpet?" she demanded.

"You." I stated with no particular inflection.

"Huh." she said snidely. "Your view is just biased, cos you couldn't possibly have seen Valentine dance. From what I gather from Nova, you were far too soused at the time to so much as see your own bloody hand if it socked you in the eye."

"I was not!" I said, incensed. "You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on."

"Very clever." Kate snorted. "Who'd you get _that _line from, then?"

"Dean Martin." I answered with a grin.

"Spenavelous." Kate intoned, voice heavy with sarcasm. "Wasn't that you doing the topless table dance at around 1 am?"

"I can't remember." I confessed.

"Yeah, and Nova reckons you were incoherent by 10. Admit it, you were completely intoxicated."

I shot Nova a glare before quoting with a smile, "Well, okay. After all, it only takes one drink to get me drunk. The trouble is, I can't remember if it's the thirteenth or the fourteenth." As Kate heaved a sigh, Heriale, Sylvixius and Khreppe walked in, and our petty argument was finished. "Nice of y'all to show up," I said casually, as the Bakugan gathered around the large, round table Kate and I had been seated at. "So, do any of you recognise these objects?"

The aforementioned objects were a twisted tangle of copper, the shattered fragments of what had once been a glass ball, a round, dented stone with some unimpressive markings on it, a hunk of brown unidentifiable substance, a rusting sword, and a lump of ice that had now all but melted into nothing. All of these items were blackened, and covered in a dark sticky substance—blood, no doubt.

"I think," said Heriale after a moment, "that this sword is the Sword of Dharaknoid—though I cannot say how it got into such an abominable condition."

"Hey, you're right!" I exclaimed, brushing away some of the sticky muck from the blade. "See, there are the runes on the side."

"Ah yes," said Heriale. "Those are Sylathic _for the blade of the deadly night, with its dark powers_."

"Well if that is the Sword of Dharaknoid, then these must be the other stolen items!" I said excitedly. "Look, this piece of copper should be the Staff of Awesomeness, right, Sylvixius?"

"Right," said Sylvixius, examining it.

"And what do these markings mean?" I asked.

"They are Domutrian for _lastly, the windy trail paves the way to that which the tyrant seeks_." she replied.

"And how about this piece of ice?" I showed it to Khreppe. "That could be the icicle from your crown."

"Yes, it is!" he said. "Look, on one side of it, you can see the remains of the runes it used to carry."

"But you didn't know what all of them were, did you?" I asked, crestfallen.

"That's right," admitted Khreppe.

"Rox might be able to ask the Rune, though," put in Kate. "What do you think, pal?"

"I can always ask," said Roximor, before going into a trance which lasted about a minute. When he came out of it, he took a deep breath, and said, "I believe the runes used to say _and the icy spike, containing the powers of sea and storm, completes the node_."

"What's a node?" I asked.

"Oh, that's simple," said Nova. "You know how the six Attribute worlds of Vestroia are aligned in their special pattern?"

"Yes, I remember," I said.

"Well this pattern is called the Wheel of Attributes." said Nova. He grabbed a paper and pen off of a handy bench that was standing by, which we'd fondly dubbed _the escritoire_, and drew a diagram on the paper. "This is what the Wheel looks like." he informed me, showing me the paper. It was basically just a circle with six letters written at equidistant points along it, starting with P at the top for Pyrus. The rest then ran thus, in clockwise order: S, H, D, A, V.

"In the centre of this wheel lies Inner Space, home of the two cores," said Nova, "but that is beside the point. The Attributes all have special relations based on their positions on the Wheel: firstly, there is the correlation—the relation between two Attributes that lie side by side on the Wheel. When using a correlation Ability, read the Attributes clockwise. The Attribute that is on the right is weak to the Attribute that is on the left. For example, Pyrus is weak to Ventus, and Darkus is weak to Haos. You would use these Abilities if your enemy's Bakugan has the Attribute that is weak to that of your Bakugan.

"Next there is the diagonal relation—the relation between two Attributes that sit exactly opposite one another on the Wheel. When using a diagonal Ability, you must have two ally Bakugan in battle, and their Attributes must sit at diametric ends of the Wheel. Then you can boost your power by 100Gs for both Bakugan—for example, if you had a Pyrus Bakugan and a Darkus Bakugan standing within the Field, you can use the diagonal Ability to combine and increase their powers.

"Third and finally, there is the most powerful relation of all: the triple node, which is what those runes were referring to. The triple node is the relation between three Attributes that form a triangle across the Wheel. There are two of these: Pyrus, Haos and Aquos, the Light, or Fire Elements, and Darkus, Ventus and Subterra, the Dark Elements. The triple node card is the hardest Ability to use, but is very powerful: you must have all three of the relating Attributes standing inside the Field, and when you use this Ability, each of the three Bakugan gain 200G-Power.

"Anyway, that wasn't a terribly bad lesson, considering it was right off the cuff, but we must get back to the matter at hand. Could this glass ball possibly be the Orb of Foresight?" He looked around at us all, and we considered the remains of the shattered glass sphere in front of us.

"We can't tell for sure, since Ahryall isn't here," I said sadly, staring at the mass of curved glass shards on the table, "but I'm willing to bet that it is indeed the Orb of Foresight. What's that etched on the bigger half, though?"

"It's some form of Riachic," said Nova. "I can't read it."

"I can," said Heriale. "It says _the pure light of righteous sight—golden eye of the sky meets..._"

"Meets what, I wonder?" mused Nova.

"I have a feeling we'll find out," I said mysteriously. "Now, I'm positive this rock fits the description that the Hirakchigave us for the Rune of Pherexis. Look, it's got that script around the edges, and underneath these dents and black rubbish, you can see a symbol that looks kind of like a _P_."

"You're right," said Nova, "and I believe that the script says _united with the ph'rexic stone to create the replica, in which..._"

"Which leaves us with _this_ odd-looking lump of rubbish," I said depreciatingly, holding up the brown thing, "which doesn't appear to have any sort of writing on it whatsoever."

"Yes, but I think I know what it is." said Nova solemnly. "It's the missing _solestia _from the graveyard in Pyrus Space."

"How do you know?" I wondered.

"Well, think about it," he urged. "Why do all those verses sound so familiar? Because we've _seen them before_."

"Oh, really, Nova, you _do _take the biscuit—where have we seen them?"

"On those stones in Subterra Space!" insisted Nova. "Remember? You passed it off as simply _bizarre poetry_, but _I_ said it was a code of some sort."

"Actually," I said slowly, "you might be right. How did it go, again?"

"Like this, I think." said Nova clearing his throat.

"_'The pure light of righteous sight—golden eye of the sky meets_

_The blade of the deadly night, with its dark powers._

_United with the ph'rexic stone to create the replica, in which_

_The soul of the father searches for the son,_

_And the icy spike, containing the powers of sea and storm_

_Completes the node, and lastly, the windy trail paves the way_

_To that which the tyrant seeks.'_"

"Of course!" I breathed. "_The soul of the father_! Why, then, it _must _be your father's solestia!"

"Told you," Nova said smugly.

I poked him, and then began to speak again. "Right," I said, with an air of proclamation, "so we've now more or less established that these are indeedthe missing artefacts, and that they are linked to the verse. Now we need to know what this verse means, how it links to the false Nova, and most of all, _who_ stole these items and to what purpose?" Even as I was talking, however, the answer was dawning on me, so obvious that I marvelled at how I could have missed it.

"Impossible!" whispered Nova, coming to the same conclusion.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, B1?" I joked.

"No," snapped Nova. "I'm thinking what _I'm _thinking."

"That this verse is actually instructions on how to create a highly dangerous clone bent on hunting its original down and killing it?" I prompted.

"No, that I would be utterly destitute without my toenails." Nova answered sarcastically.

"Right," I sighed. "So it all fits, doesn't it? The Rune of Pherexis provides earth, a false body, like that of a golem. The _solestia _gives the body a soul—and if you pick the soul of a close relative, this will give the body of the clone a resemblance to the original. The Orb gives the body the foresight needed to seek out its victim. The icicle supplies water, water that the body needs, but also that combines with the fiery soul and the light of the Orb to complete the triple node, giving the body the power it needs to move. Then the dark powers of the Sword of Dharaknoid create the mind, a dark, evil mind that knows only how to kill. Lastly, the Staff..." I trailed off, not knowing what the Staff could have to do with the instructions. "Sylvixius, what properties does the Staff have, or allegedly have?" I asked.

"It was said that it provides a trail of wind that will direct you to whatever it is you seek." said Sylvixius. "Kinda like Jack Sparrow's compass."

"Gosh, no _wonder_ they called it the Staff of Awesomeness." I marvelled.

"Well, it shows you the way," interjected Sylvixius. "That doesn't mean it helps you to actually _follow _the trail. It won't overcome your obstacles for you, for example."

"Fine," I said, "but this would have increased the precision of the path the Orb points to, allowing the clone to just about pinpoint the exact location of the original. And that's what the verse means!" I concluded triumphantly.

The other Bakugan stared around in awe, realising the truth of my words. At last, Kate, who had seemed rather preoccupied during this little speech, spoke up. "All well and good, Phyra," she said, "but that leads us back to the question, who built this clone, and to what purpose? What could anyone gain from killing Nova?"

"You've got me stumped on that one," I admitted. "Unless..."

"What?" she pressed.

"Well," I said reluctantly, "whoever built this clone must have been in league with the thief who stole these, right?"

"Yes..."

"The only piece of evidence we have to go on," I continued, "is a footprint I found in Pyrus Space. At the time, I didn't recognise this footprint, but it was after the battle, and I was searching the field for survivors, that I found another print just like it. And then another. And another. And another. And so on. This leads me to only one conclusion."

"And that would be...?"

"Sektarii." I said ominously.

"But why would they want to kill Nova in particular?" persisted Kate. "It's ridiculous! Sektarii aren't interested in Bakugan—it's _us _they hate. They only use Bakugan because it will increase their chances of wiping us out completely."

"Ahh," I said knowingly, "but supposing the Sektarii _aren't _at the head of this little plot. Supposing they were only accomplices? And besides," I added. "I think you're wrong. They weren't in it to _kill _Nova. They just wanted to _find _him."

"What makes you think that?" asked Nova.

"Think about it." I said. "When you fought the clone, he went easy on you compared to how quickly he slaughtered everyone else. His other victims didn't stand a chance, but you defeated him with relatively little effort. That suggests to me that he was only meant to find you, and once he had done so, he left his mark, that great flash of light. Whoever it was who sent the clone _must _know where you are, now...so all we can do is end this conjecture and wait, wait and see who—or _what—_shows up."

There was a grim silence at my words. No one spoke as we left the room one by one.

The battle was over, it seemed, but not the war.

_*Pronounced 'Ledasha' and 'Abseeda' respectively._

**A/N: **And that's the end of Part II, folks. Stay tuned for Parts III and IV. There is also a Part V but that's kind of a sequel/stand-alone so I'm considering adding that as a separate story later... Anyway, the characters Phantos and Nivawk, who make brief appearances here, were created by the awesome Antex-The Legendary Zoroark especially for this story, so props to him. Hope you enjoyed that, Antex!


	22. Chapter Twenty-One: Dragons and Drones

**PART III:**

**BEGINNING OF THE REVELATION...**

**Chapter Twenty-One – Dragons and Drones**

"Okay, are we all ready?" cried Captain Hackett, flashing us his signature _K.O._ smile.

"Bring it on, mister!" I replied.

Hackett just grinned, raising an eyebrow at Kate, who (as usual) was not at all impressed. "So," he announced, adjusting the flamboyant cravat he was wearing, "now that all the tension's gone and the battle's over, I thought we could celebrate the end of our first week of leave with a tag-team brawl."

"He's such an Oilcan Harry, poncing around in that silly neck-tie," muttered Colonel Narov, who was standing next to me.

"Yup, he's a bit of a spiv." I replied with a nod. "I think his flare pants are worse, though."

"What was that, fellas?" asked Hackett.

"Nothing, nothing." I said breezily. "Do continue."

"Well," he said, with a slight smirk, "I think it only fair that I be a team captain since it was my idea to do this, and after all, I am_ Captain_ Hackett..." He paused, waiting for us to laugh at his joke. No one did, though, so he went on, slightly crestfallen. "So...um...anyway, I'll just pick one of you, and then whoever is left can be the other team. That sound hunky-dory?"

"Not really." I said under my breath, before adding aloud, "Spiffing. Do select a team-mate, good sir."

"Oh, stop it, you!" giggled Hackett, pretending to blush. "Well, I choose..." He made a great show of sizing us all up and waggling his forefinger around, pretending to select one of us at random, though we all knew who he would pick. "How about you, Sergeant New_bell?_" said he with a grin, predictable as always. He beckoned to Kate as he clumsily accented the last syllable of her surname for no apparent reason.

Kate heaved a small sigh, then put on a wide, fake smile, and bounded over to stand beside him. "Oh, I'm terribly flattered, Captain," she simpered. "I hope I don't let the side down."

"Of course you won't!" cried Hackett, missing the sarcasm. "And _please_, call me Trap." He gave an oily grin, and she let out a feeble giggle.

"I think we've had enough of this pathetic flirting on the battlefield, thanks." Narov announced loudly, breaking Hackett out of his reverie. "Where's Duckford, anyway?"

"Staying with his esteemed mother." I yawned. "Lord and lady, what a _boring_ man he is."

"He won first prize in the Octagon Interior Decoration Contest last year!" exclaimed Narov, affronted. "_How_ can you call him boring?"

"Quite easily, I assure you." I grinned. "Now, shall we get this game going, or what?"

"What." said Kate cheekily.

"Oh," I said, feigning disappointment. "We'll just have to high-tail it out of here, then."

"How about we get on with it?" suggested Narov, holding up a Gate.

"Sounds great," Hackett answered, doing the same. Kate and I spared each other a glance, then produced our own cards, whereupon we all loaded them up and cried, "Field—Open!"

The usual affair of glittering energy particles surrounded us. Hackett thoughtfully pulled a small radio out of his pocket and set it down between himself and Kate, tuning it in to a station that was currently playing romantic music. I face-palmed, then brought forth something out of my own pocket. It was a twenty-sided playing dice. "Say hello to the Legendary Twenty-Sided Die of Epicness and Strength." I beamed, holding it out for everyone to see.

"Hello." said Narov.

"Did you come up with the name yourself?" grinned Kate.

"Sure did," I smiled, "but if you want, you can call him Jeff for short. Anyway, he's going to determine which team goes first. Odds or evens, Captain?"

"Ummm...evens." shrugged Hackett. I then proceeded to roll the die. It landed on four. "WOO!" enthused Hackett, punching the air.

"Alright," I said, "let us play." The four of us went on to set our first Gate Cards. Four enormous squares appeared and formed a huge battlefield in colours of purple, gold, green and orange. After that, we were startled slightly by another appearance from Nova's cheer squad—whom I had presumed killed in the last battle, but apparently that was not so—much to my vexation, Nova's humiliation and Hackett's apparent indecision. There was no convenient way to get rid of them, though, so we let them stay for the duration of the match.

"Bakugan Brawl!" yelled Hackett, trying to ignore the flashy fangirls in their meagre pink raiment at the sidelines as he sent an orange sphere over to Narov's Gate with a motion of his BakuPod. It rolled into the centre of the card and with a flash, rose up to reveal a Subterra Bakugan. "Stand, Subterra Grim Reaper!" Hackett added. The huge brown figure raised its scythe and eyed us all with a cold, hard gaze, red eyes flashing momentarily. I glanced at my BakuPod and saw that it had 540G-Power. Then I turned back to Hackett as he slotted something into his BakuPod and raised it, saying, "Enhancer—Deploy! Rise, Subterra Beta Core!" A small metal object flew onto his Gate Card and rose up into a sort of octagonal pyramid, but with the top scored off (like the Central Octagon itself). Two laser cannons were mounted on either side, and it had 1100Gs. Before anyone could do anything else, however, Narov suddenly put a Supportive Ability into his BakuPod and activated it.

"Supportive Ability—Activate!" he announced. "Switch Barrier! This Haos card permits me to switch an opponent's Enhancer with my own. If mine is Haos, none of my opponents may deploy Enhancers until the end of my next turn!" With that, Beta Core abruptly folded in on itself and flew back to the astonished Hackett, while Narov's Enhancer was pulled from his pocket to take Beta Core's place. "Rise, Haos Gamma Dome!" said Narov with half a smile.

"I thought you could only put Enhancers on your own cards?" I questioned, as what looked like a hexagonal prism (with 1000G-Power) ascended into being on the card, putting out a huge appendage at the top which was similar in appearance to a radio tower.

"Ah," said Narov, now smiling broadly, "but you see, the thing about this game is that when the effect of a card disputes the rulings, the card _always _takes precedence over the rule. Bear that in mind, and you'll soon develop an astonishing arsenal of tricks to keep up your sleeve until the right time." He winked, and I, not knowing what to say in return, merely grinned back as he went to continue his turn. "Bakugan Brawl!" he called, sending a small golden marble over to his Gate, where Subterra Grim Reaper was waiting. "Stand, Haos Storm Falconeer!" A large, birdlike Haos Bakugan soared into the air, thunder crashing from its gauntlets and lightning flashing from the crest on its helm. It had 550G-Power.

"That all you got, Philius?" chuckled Hackett. "You Haos Brawlers _are _rather weak, aren't you? Never fear, we'll soon remedy this situation. Come, Microgan, Subterra Badgerak!" A brown Microgan was launched over to sit beside Grim Reaper, where it transformed into...

"A honey badger?" cried Narov incredulously. "Are you _joking_,Captain?"

"Not at all," beamed Hackett. "Honey badgers _rock! _I had one of my associates customise this Microgan to look _just _like the one in that documentary we saw on them the other week."

"Er...fab, I think." murmured Narov, as the captain briefly checked something on his BakuPod and then directed an order to Badgerak. Badgerak instantly sprang into weapon mode, attaching himself to the end of the blade on Reaper's scythe, which suddenly got a hell of a lot longer. I noticed that his Power Level had also gone up to 870. Narov just smiled at that, however. "You forget yourself, Captain," he said with perfect clarity. "Your Microgan may be tough—even _badass_, as I hear honey badgers are rumoured to be...but we happen to be battling on _my _card, which swings things over to _my_ advantage. Gate Card—Open! Power Merge! This command card transfers 100G-Power from each of the opponent's Bakugan and Microgan to my Bakugan!"

The Gate Card flashed, and the Power Levels rearranged themselves to 750 for Narov, 670 for Hackett. Storm Falconeer then rushed forward and summoned a bolt of lightning which struck Reaper and Badgerak, sending them tumbling off the Gate and crashing into ball form. Following on that, Kate loaded a Bakugan into her BakuPod and moved over to take her turn.

"Bakugan Brawl!" she called. "Stand, Ventus Razor Hynoid!" The tiny green Bakugan hurtled through the air to land on her Gate Card, opening up and rising into a huge green wolf that stood upright on its hind legs. Its claws were elongated and sharper even than those of a Fear Ripper. It had 580G-Power. "Ability—Activate! Draw!" continued Kate, slotting an Ability into her BakuPod. It flashed green and activated, causing a Bakugan from Narov's clip to fly over and join Hynoid on the card. The new Bakugan turned out to be Storm Falconeer again.

"Ability—Activate! Ultra Power Transfer, plus, Fusion Ability—Activate! Double Light!" As Narov slid the two cards into his BakuPod, their effects resolved one at a time. Ultra Power Transfer knocked 200 off Hynoid's Power Level, and added the same amount to Falconeer's, then Double Light doubled Narov's G-Power advantage, which had been 370, so that the Power Levels were now at 1120 for Narov, and 380 for Kate.

"Nice try, Colonel, but like you pointed out before, being on one's own Gate Card _does _turn the tables in one's own favour." said Kate with a smile, before making a short sweep with her arm and saying, "Gate Card—Open! Wind Shutdown! This card negates the effects of your Ability cards, and adds 150G-Power to all Ventus Bakugan!" The Power Levels reverted back to their original state, then Hynoid received a surge of energy that enabled him to send Falconeer careening off the Gate with a swipe of his huge claws. Hynoid went back to Kate as the card vanished, and Falconeer rolled across the ground to stop at Narov's feet. I then took a quick survey of the battlefield, decided upon my best course of action, and began my turn.

"Enhancer - Deploy!" I yelled, shooting Alpha Turret over to my Gate Card, where it rose up to tower above us, and began charging. Then I put a Gate into the slot on my BakuPod, and shot it over to land in the spot that Kate's card had recently vacated, crying as I did so, "Gate Card—Set!" I checked the Bakugan in my clip, considering which one to use. I selected a Darkus, and used my BakuPod to shoot it over to my new card, saying, "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Darkus Alternate Mantris!"

The Bakugan loomed menacingly on my card, but this one didn't look much like its previous version at all. To be sure, it had the same basic shape as any Mantris, but this one didn't look like it was physically present—or, for that matter, like it was a ghost, either. It looked as though it were a mere outline, shining like neon in the dark. Nevertheless, it was certainly capable of packing a fair punch, and it had 530G-Power. "Ability—Activate! Dark Alternate Force!" I shouted, the card gleaming purple inside my BakuPod. "This card, unique to Darkus Alternate Mantris, summons a Bakugan from an opponent's clip to any card on the Field. That Bakugan then has its Power Level halved, and Mantris gains G-Power equal to what the new Bakugan lost."

One of the Bakugan in Kate's clip glowed blue and skimmed low over the ground to land on my Gate Card, where it opened up into Ninjitsu Monarus. With the effect of Dark Alternate Force, the Power Levels stood at 255 for Monarus, and 785 for Mantris. Kate didn't seem all that bothered, though. She merely inserted something into her BakuPod and launched it through the air to land next to Monarus.

"Come, Microgan, Aquos Drakoflyer!" she said loudly. "Activate weapon mode!" The large blue dragonfly transformed into a giant sword, which Monarus, sheathing her katanas, picked up and began smashing the ground with.

"Sir Monarus, _not _the finest swordsman in the world!" I joked.

"But the most _enthusiastic!_" added Kate with a grin.

"What are you two onabout?" demanded Narov.

"Nothing." we said hastily. Kate then slotted a card into the activation dock on her BakuPod and said, "Micro Ability—Activate! Ultimate Sword of Ice! This adds 400G-Power to Drakoflyer!" Kate's total Power Level was now up to 975.

"That won't be enough," I said, raising my hand. "Character Card—Open! Mantris!" Alternate Mantris glowed fiercer than ever as he received a tremendous power surge and his G-Power doubled, rising to 1570.

"You may want to consider eating your words, Phyra," Kate chuckled, readying another Ability card. "Ability—Activate! Wind Reversal! This reverses the effect of your Gate Card!" The Ability flashed green, and so did my Gate, while instead of being doubled, Mantris's Power Level was now reduced to zero! Monarus gave one sweep of her sword, and the phantom insect was sent back into ball form, landing off to the side on the shining floor. The Gate faded and Monarus went back to Kate.

It was then Hackett's turn again. "Gate Card—Set!" he cried, shooting a card over to land beside his other one, which still had Gamma Dome on it. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Subterra Platinum Centipoid!" A huge centipede appeared which looked almost exactly like the original Centipoid, except bigger, and while its underside was brown, its back was covered in huge metal plates, shining with a bluish silver tinge. It had 660Gs.

"Gate Card—Set!" called Narov, launching his Gate over to sit next to mine, which had Alpha Turret on it. He then chose a Bakugan from his clip and inserted it into the dock on his BakuPod, before sending it flying over to land on Hackett's card, where Centipoid awaited it. The Haos Bakugan rolled to a halt and opened up to reveal...what _was_ that? "Stand, Haos Telekinetic Juggernoid!" said Narov with a twisted grin. I then realised that the thing was, in fact, a giant tortoise—except its hard, scaly shell was conical, and had three large antennae jutting out at equidistant points from the base. It had 530G-Power.

"Come, Microgan, Haos Mosarer!" Narov added, as a small white object burst forth from his BakuPod and sailed through the air to join the battle, flashing brightly as it caught the light. It landed on the Gate Card and turned into a little white and gold mouse. It had 200Gs. "Activate Weapon Mode!" ordered Narov, upon which command the mouse scampered up to the top of Juggernoid's shell and slotted its small body into a tiny gap in the tip of the cone, its tail sticking straight up in the air and becoming another, larger aerial. There was a power bonus of 100, which sent Narov's total Power Level up to 830G-Power.

However, Hackett just grinned and said, "Character Card—Open! Centipoid!" Centipoid made a taut, hissing noise as his metal plates grew red-hot with the energy rushing into his body. His Power Level doubled, going to 1320Gs.

"Micro Ability—Activate!" shouted Narov. "Telekinetic Switch!" Atop Juggernoid's shell, Mosarer's tail began sending out energy waves which switched the Gate Card with the card Narov had set earlier. Centipoid's Power Level went back down to 660, and Juggernoid raced in (as fast as it was possible for a tortoise to run, mark you) to perform the finishing blow, when...

"Ability—Activate!" yelled Hackett. "Fists of Stone! This nullifies your Ability!" Centipoid's front twenty legs or so turned to rock, and he nimbly picked his way over to Juggernoid on his back eighty legs, and used said front legs to punch Mosarer's tail until it bent and twisted into a crooked, tangled mess. Another stream of energy waves appeared and switched the Gates around again—and moreover, not only had Centipoid regained the effect of his Character Card, but also another 200G-Power from Fists of Stone, bringing his Power Level up to 1520! He then shot electricity bolts from his pincers and sent Juggernoid crashing to the ground. The Gate faded away and both Bakugan reverted to ball form, Centipoid returning to Hackett's outstretched hand, Juggernoid and Mosarer skidding to a halt at Narov's feet.

"Gate Card—Set!" cried Kate, her card zooming over to expand and flash right in front of me, where her original Gate had been before. "Enhancer—Deploy!" Omega Striker rose up to tower about fifty feet above my head, casting a shadow over me. Its twin AA guns emerged, loaded and ready.

"OI! I was enjoying that sunlight!" I affected protestation, making as if to shake my fist.

Kate just smiled and shot a Bakugan over to Narov's Gate, with a, "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Aquos Ninjitsu Monarus!" The faerie ninja shot into the air above said Gate Card, glittery powder falling from its wings like pixie dust or some rot like that. I turned to Narov, and cocked my head to one side.

"Is that the one?" I asked cryptically.

He nodded. "Go ahead," he said, "and remember the plan."

"Right. Gate Card—Set!" I said loudly. A Gate Card skimmed low over the floor to sit beside my other, which had Alpha Turret on it. "Bakugan Brawl!" I shouted, shooting Nova over to join Monarus on Narov's Gate. "Stand, Pyrus Assassin Dragonoid!" Nova burst into the air with a roar, and the cheerleaders screamed their approval.

"What in the name of the Great Chicken Who Laid The Egg That Hatched The Universe—" Hackett began, but was interrupted by one of the cheerleaders rocking up to him and shrieking, "But it was the cupcake who did it! The cupcake! The _cupcake!_" Hackett looked her tall, curvy form and revealing pink vesture up and down for a moment, blushed, and then tugged nervously at his cravat. "Alright." he mumbled. "The cupcake did it." She gave him a pretty smile and skipped back to her friends. Hackett then amended his question to, "What in the name of the Great Cupcake Who Spawned The Chicken And Hatched The Universe are you two doing?"

"You'll see," I said with a wink. "Ability—Activate! Summon Ally!" Narov's final Bakugan was pulled from his clip and soared over to land beside Nova. The Haos Bakugan soared into the air, glittering white and gold wings unfolding to reveal...

"Stand, Haos Dragonoid!" said Narov, watching his Bakugan fly high above our heads with a slightly discontented sigh.

"Dear me," she murmured. "I seem to have misplaced my marbles. Has anyone seen them?" She was relatively small for a Dragonoid, but quite pretty in a strange way, and had 440Gs.

"_That's _your guardian?" exclaimed Hackett in disbelief. "She's the weakest in your entire collection!"

"Yes," said Narov quietly. "She is my guardian Bakugan—and solitary strength isn't everything. It's the combination of different strengths that wins the battle. See, together with Knife, she brings our Power Level to 1160, which is more than twice that of Katelyn's Monarus."

"Don't _call _me that!" Kate fumed. "It's so..._girly!_"

"Get a hold of yourself, crazy woman," I said dismissively. "You _are _a girl—which is to say you're an old lady."

"You do realise that makes little or no sense whatsoever, don't you?" Narov commented in a conversational manner.

"Yup." I replied, unruffled.

"Well," said Kate slowly, "I'll pretend I didn't hear any of that, and fast-forward this conversation to my snappy rejoinder. Seeing as you're all for the combination of different strengths," she went on at a louder volume, "see how you like _this:_ Supportive Ability—Activate! Omega Reinforcement! This card allows me to bring a Bakugan from the clip of either myself or a team-mate to the battle." Hackett's Platinum Centipoid was there to crash the party in less than a second. The Power Levels were now standing at 1160 for me and Narov, and 1170 for Hackett and Kate.

"I am flattered that you give my humble lectures such consequence, Sergeant Newbell," smiled Narov, "but having said that, you may want to recall what I said before about having the advantage on one's own Gate Card—"

"She already remembered that before," I reminded him.

"Stop spoiling the moment!" he snapped back. "Character Card—Open! Dragonoid!" At this Kate and Hackett gaped openly, their jaws nearly touching the ground. For as Nova and Haos Dragonoid were bothof the Dragonoid line, they _both _got the bonus—meaning this one card now did _twice _the damage. The fangirls went quite crazy, and started hitting each other frenziedly with their pom-poms.

Our Power Level soared up to 2320, and the two dragons sent out a huge stream of energy, part darkness, part light, and part fire, which swept both opponents off the Gate Card like the ever-changing wind tossing leaves along the road. The Gate turned to nothing, and Narov and I caught our respective Bakugan as they rushed over to us. After a moment, our opponents closed their mouths, and Hackett slotted a Gate into his BakuPod in preparation for his turn.

"Gate Card—Set!" he cried, his card landing in place of the vanished one. "Enhancer—Deploy!" Beta Core, the fourth and final Enhancer, loomed up on the new card at last, cannons to the ready. "Now," said Hackett with a lopsided grin, showing perfect white teeth, "be ready to meet my new guardian Bakugan, who just passed the final testing stages in the lab the other day. Bakugan Brawl!" A shining brown sphere shot over to my empty Gate Card, and rolled into the centre, leaving a trail of sparks behind it. "Stand, Subterra Summoner Drone!"

The rest of us looked on as the ball opened into a new kind of Bakugan none of us had ever seen before: a large, silver robot, sleek and spry-looking, with huge metal plates armouring its shins and lower arms. It wore a long brown cloak that flapped rather impressively about its body, a dark visored helmet that showed nothing of its face save a pair of cold red eyes, and lastly, it carried what looked like a wand, with a sharp blade on one end like a bayonet. It had 750G-Power.

"An artificial Bakugan?" I asked dubiously.

"Exactly," beamed Hackett. "We took DNA samples from a couple of volunteer Bakugan and fused them with a mechanical body to create a living weapon, if you like—and it's not the only one, either. We've got more prototypes of different Attributes and builds. You lot have got some models waiting to be issued to you at some point down the track."

"Interesting," mused Narov.

"I don't much like the sound of such a notion," said Nova doubtfully from my shoulder. "It might give us Bakugan a bad image."

"Of course. We wouldn't want to put a blot on your escutcheon, would we?" I quipped.

"That's not funny." he replied flatly, and his cheerleaders nodded their agreement vigorously.

"Relax, Nova." Hackett reassured my guardian. "There are only going to be eight of these drones in total, and they're going to be used exclusively for particular circumstances. The sole reason I use this one now is for the final testing—but my point is, only a few of us will know that the drones exist, and I doubt those who do will be comparing them to Bakugan."

"I suppose that's alright," said Nova reluctantly. "So long as you lot don't start accusing my race of being nothing more than mindless war machines or anything similar."

"We won't," promised Hackett. "Now, Philius, want to have your turn?"

"Obviously," said Narov drily. "Gate Card—Set!" A Gate was launched over to sit beside Hackett's first. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Haos Dragonoid!" The delicate white and gold dragon rose up once again, above the newly-placed card. She was still moping over the alleged loss of her marbles, though it was uncertain as to whether these so-called marbles were merely figurative, or actual marbles.

"Bakugan Brawl!" yelled Kate, sending a small green ball over to Narov's Gate. "Stand, Ventus Razor Hynoid!" The green wolf-man stood up and growled irritably at Dragonoid, who was out of his reach. It was 440Gs against 580Gs, in Kate's favour.

"Gate Card—Open!" called Narov. "Duck and Win! The weaker Bakugan is the winner of the battle!" Hynoid gave a roar as Dragonoid swooped down on him, teeth bared, claws flashing.

"Ability—Activate!" said Kate hurriedly. "Hurricane Slide!" There was a shrill, whining noise as the Gate Card began to move, switching with that of Kate's, which had antecedently had Omega Striker on it. Dragonoid gave a funny lurch to the left mid-dive and crashed into the card's surface. "Fusion Ability—Activate!" added Kate, as Hynoid pelted forward with a howl. "Ventus Reaction! This card, if played directly after using a Ventus Ability, adds 300 to my Power Level!" A raging wind rushed through the battlefield, invigorating Hynoid even further. He reached Narov's grounded dragon and sank his claws into her side, causing her to roar with pain.

"Enhancer—Activate!" cried Narov, tapping the button on his BakuPod. Gamma Dome, which had charged to eighty percent, retracted its aerial and began glowing. "Supportive Ability—Activate! Charge Convert!" continued Narov. "This card adds G-Power to my Bakugan equal to half the current charge percentage level of my Enhancer, multiplied by ten!"

This, under normal circumstances, would have given Dragonoid 400G-Power, but as Narov had known it would, with the enhancing effect, the card actually gave him an amazing 720G-Power, bringing his Power Level up to 1160. Dragonoid practically screamed with exuberance as a massive power surge rushed through her ethereal profile, and she took once more to the skies and sent a raging torrent of white-gold fire down below, all but frying the ill-fated Hynoid to a crisp. Said Bakugan returned to ball form and crashed to the ground, smoking slightly. Dragonoid then also turned to ball form and flew into Narov's cupped hand, still hot from all that energy. The unopened Gate faded away, and it was my turn.

"Bakugan Brawl!" I shouted. "Stand, Darkus Electro Cybertallion!" The vast black android stood on my Gate Card, where Captain Hackett's Summoner Drone awaited it. The Power Levels were in Hackett's favour by 60, but that was soon to change. "Come, Microgan! Darkus Panferus!" I called. The black cat rushed onto the scene, slashing wildly at Summoner Drone's cloak (to no avail worth mentioning, if that's even an expression). "Engage weapon mode, Panferus!" I yelled, as Panferus jumped up and became a gun, attaching to Cybertallion's wrist. My Power Level had now upped by 330, which left me in the lead by 270.

"Not good enough, Sergeant!" grinned Hackett. "Ability—Activate! Mud Slide!" The Gate Card swapped with Hackett's, which had had Gamma Dome on it. Now I was out of my territory. "Supportive Ability—Activate!" added Hackett. "Beta Summon! Plus, Fusion Ability—Activate! Magnify!" Over on Hackett's other card, Beta Core glowed bright orange suddenly, and before I knew it, a meteor had fallen out of the sky and exploded in the middle of the battlefield. Miraculously, Cybertallion and Panferus survived...but when I checked my BakuPod, I saw that 350 had been knocked off my Power Level twice. It had been brought down to a mere 320, now, while Hackett's remained stable at 750. That was difficult, but I knew I could handle it.

"Enhancer—Activate!" I yelled, seeing that Alpha Turret had charged to sixty percent. "Micro Ability—Activate! Wildcat Fury! Normally this adds 200 to Panferus, but with the enhanced effect, that's 320. Now, Supportive Ability—Activate! Alpha Hellfire! This takes 350 off your Power Level, but with Alpha Turret activated and at fifty-five percent, that's 490 in total!" The Power Levels were now at 640 for me, and 260 for Hackett. I looked quizzically at Hackett, wondering if he had a counter.

He did. "Gate Card—Open!" he cried. "Stone Swap! This switches the Power Levels, then adds 100 to all Subterra Bakugan on the Gate!" Summoner Drone waved his wand and a stone dragon rose out of the Gate itself, devouring Cybertallion in one mouthful before turning to dust and leaving only a small black sphere behind. Our spectators gasped, pink regalia ceasing to shimmer and writhe as they paused in their antics to digest what had just happened. Hackett grinned widely as he caught Summoner Drone. "I'd say this test is turning out with some rather positive results," he said, dusting the metal ball off on his shirt.

"That _was _rather an impressive attack," I admitted, "but come, let us not go and unnecessarily draw this intermission out beyond its natural proportions. Your move again, Captain."

"Righto," he answered. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Subterra Summoner Drone!" For the second time in a row, the strange synthetic Bakugan stood on my Gate Card, which currently had the active Gamma Dome on it. "Come, Microgan, Subterra Gryzler!" yelled Hackett, flicking the switch on his BakuPod. A (comparatively) large, cube-shaped Microgan flew out onto the Field and transformed into a huge brown bear-like machine, which emitted a snarling kind of noise and put out two sets of long, sharp claws. "Attach to Summoner Drone!" added Hackett.

Gryzler gave a roar and stood upright before retracting its legs, which were replaced with two large jet turbines. It then propelled itself over to Summoner Drone, and with a smooth _click_, slid its front paws into place on the drone's shoulders, effectively forming a jet-pack. Summoner Drone then took to the air and brought out a colossal golem from the ground with another wand-wave, which began to attack the vulnerable Gamma Dome. Already it was down to 950G-Power, and still decreasing, while Hackett's held firm at 1110.

"Quick, do something!" I urged Narov.

"Don't worry," he said. "I've got the situation under control. This is the right Gate, isn't it?"

"Yes it is." I affirmed.

"Okay, then. Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Haos Dragonoid!" Narov's guardian arose on the Gate Card.

"Seriously, peoples," she insisted. "I really bloody need those marbles!"

"Supportive Ability—Activate!" continued Narov. "Form Change! This card changes my Enhancer into a Bakugan temporarily. Its enhancing effects are rendered null and void while this card is activated, but its Power Level will remain stable, and it is now able to fight for itself. Incidentally, I can cancel the effect of this card whenever I choose."

Now at 900, Gamma Dome's G-Power stopped going down. With an unnatural creaking and groaning of metal joints, eight spindly legs then shot out of its sides, heaving the enormous structure up into a spider-like stance. Then a ray gun appeared from the top and started taking pot shots at Summoner Drone, who hastily blasted up higher into the sky, trying to get out of the way—only to be met by Dragonoid, who beat at him with her wings and tail, still whining about her marbles. The Power Levels were now fixed at 1110 for Hackett, and 1340 for Narov.

"Supportive Ability—Activate!" yelled Hackett. "Summon Enhancer! Come, Microgan, Subterra Jakaloth!" With a shrill shrieking and grinding, Beta Core ground its way over to the Gate Card and began firing its cannons, while yet another Microgan appeared, this one looking like a small brown jackal. "Enhancer—Activate! Jakaloth, engage ultimate mode!" added Hackett. The dog-like machine bounded over and scrambled on top of Beta Core, which had drawn its cannons in, and then they attached, Jakaloth sinking into the interior cockpit and the entire thing shifting and moulding into yet another automaton. Hackett's Power Level was now up to 2650, though with a few attacks, it would start decreasing as Beta Core got damaged.

"Ability—Cancel!" said Narov hastily. "Come, Microgan, Haos Tijawrus and Haos Vaeporo! Attach!" Two shining white and gold objects landed on the Gate, one transforming into a huge white shark, the other into a massive golden snake. The shark attached to Gamma Dome, which had retracted its spider legs and gun, but now activated ultimate mode, forming another robot. The snake, meanwhile, latched itself to Dragonoid, clipping along the line of her spine. Its head aligned with hers, and the bladed tip of its tail also lined up with hers. A multitude of long, sharp spines protruded from the Microgan's back, fastening onto those that the dragon already had, and elongating them by about a foot.

Narov's total Power Level was now up to 2100, whilst Hackett's had fallen to 2600. At this point, the Gate suddenly opened automatically, and revealed a line of well-known text: Quartet Battle. Nova and Roximor glowed in colours of red and green respectively, and were brought to the battle. The fangirls all now whipped out Desert Eagles and began to shoot each other in their wild excitement.

"Some ultimate showdown _this _turned out to be," I said wryly.

"Yeah," said Kate with a smile, "and we're nowhere finished yet. Enhancer—Activate!" Omega Striker's guns were pulled in and it started to shine softly, emitting a low humming noise. I leaned forward and echoed Kate's words, activating Alpha Turret, which folded in its satellites and also produced a humming sound like mysterious functioning machinery, which it basically was.

"Come, Microgan!" we then both cried at the same time.

"Wyvoro and Eagoroth!" yelled Kate.

"Tarantulak and Phasorak!" I added. As one, four Microgan flew onto the Field—two heading over to the Gate with the battling Bakugan and attaching to Nova and Roximor, the other two moving to separate cards and activating ultimate modes. Our BakuPods now showed the Power Levels to be thus: 3190 for me and Narov, 3650 for Kate and Hackett.

"Ultimate Ability—Activate!" I shouted. "Winged Flaming Phasor! This card allows me to move Alpha Turret to any other card I choose. Then all enemy Bakugan and Microgan battling against any of my Bakugan lose 50G-Power. However, my Alpha Turret is charged to fifty percent, so that's actually 75G-Power!" Alpha Turret launched into the air, enormous metal wings beating, and landed on the Quartet Battle card, adding 1100G-Power to our Power Level, while Hackett's and Kate's went down by a total of 375. At that moment, Nova also scored a hit on Beta Core, downing its Gs by another 50. The totals now stood at 4290 us, 3225 them. The fangirls were now all sporting multiple bloody gun wounds, but they still cheered and screamed and called out stupid chants, to general irritation and astonishment.

"Ultimate Ability—Activate!" retorted Kate. "Wind-Powered Eagle Strike! Normally, 500G-Power would be transferred across to our Power Level, but Omega Striker is currently at fifty-five percent power, so that's 775!" As this happened, both Alpha Turret and Beta Core each lost another 100G-Power each, bringing the Power Levels to 3415 us, 3900 them.

"Ultimate Ability—Activate!" Narov said loudly. "Shining Gamma Predator! This adds 1000G-Power to Gamma Dome—but since Gamma Dome itself is at seventy-five percent, that's 1750!" Gamma Dome's legs reappeared, longer than ever, and it shone with a piercing brilliancy as power rushed into its core, and our total Power Level went up to a stunning 5165.

"Ultimate Ability—Activate!" returned Hackett. "Wild Meteor Storm! This card takes 300G-Power from your total Power Level for every Bakugan and Microgan you have on this card—and with Beta Core at forty percent, that's 420, for a total decrease of 2520." A hail of enormous meteorites fell out of the sky, crashing into the Gate and Bakugan and damaging everything they came into contact with. Our Power Level sank first to 2645, then to 2545, as Gamma Dome took another hit.

"Well..." I said slowly. "_That_ was utterly useless."

"Never mind," smiled Narov. "Let's try another strategy." He whispered something inaudible into my ear.

"Beg yours?" I responded, completely mystified.

"Oh, sorry." He proceeded to scream his plan at me as loud as he could.

"_Cheesecakes_, I get it already!" I yelped, before drawing out a card and shoving it into the docking bay. "Tarantulak, detach!" The spider-like machine did as it was bid, releasing its hold on Nova's tail, and causing our Power Level to drop by another 100G-Power. "Micro Ability—Activate! Morph Silk! This lets me change Tarantulak's Attribute to any I choose, so long as it is in unattached mode. I choose...Aquos!" Tarantulak gave a brief shudder as its colouring changed from a red-orange colour scheme to a blue-green one.

"What, by the Ancient Cheesecake Lord, are you _doing?_" spluttered Hackett, dumbfounded.

"You'll soon see," I said, before turning to arch an eyebrow at Narov. "Go ahead, Colonel."

"Ability—Activate!" said Narov. "Triple Node! Since we now have Pyrus, Aquos and Haos at the battle, three of our Bakugan or Microgan gain 200Gs – except that Gamma Dome is at seventy percent, so make that 340Gs." Nova, Tarantulak and Dragonoid flashed suddenly in colours of red, white and blue, and our Power Level went up to 3465. Kate's and Hackett's remained at 3900.

"That was somewhat anticlimactic." I remarked drily.

"Rubbish," Narov said bracingly. "We're not done yet. Double Micro Ability—Activate! Venom Strike, plus Shark Frenzy! Venom Strike takes 200G-Power from all enemy Bakugan on the card, and Shark Frenzy adds 300G-Power to Tijawrus. Factor in my Enhancer and that's a total of 660 taken from your Power Level, and 480 added to ours!"

"Micro Ability—Activate!" I added. "Phasor Plus! This adds 200G-Power to Phasorak, but with Alpha Turret at forty-five percent, that's 290!" That meant that we were now at 4235, and they were at 3240.

"Right, you asked for it," yelled Hackett. "Triple Micro Ability—Activate! Wild Jet-Stream, plus Bear Claw, plus Jackal Howl! Wild Jet-Stream takes 200G-Power off all enemy Bakugan and Microgan at the battle if I have Gryzler in weapon mode. Bear Claw adds 300G-Power to Gryzler, and Jackal Howl adds 250G-Power to Jakaloth. Factoring in Beta Core, that's a total of 1620 taken from your Power Level, and a total of 700 added to ours!"

"My turn!" added Kate. "Double Micro Ability—Activate! Wyvern Strike, plus Opposites Combine! Wyvern Strike transfers 150G-Power from your Power Level to mine if I have a Wyvoro in weapon mode, and Opposites Combine gives 150G-Power to all our battling Microgan, if we have both Subterra and Ventus Microgan in play!" Take Kate's Omega Striker into account, and we were now at 2385, while they were at 4815.

"Triple Ability—Activate!" I yelled. "Blazing Dragonia, plus Inferno Strike, plus Fusion Ability, Inferno Void! Blazing Dragonia drops your Power Level by 300, and adds 150G-Power to Nova for every Pyrus-Attributed Bakugan and Microgan on the Field. Inferno Strike transfers 150G-Power from your Power Level to mine for every Bakugan and Microgan you have at the battle, and Inferno Void transfers 200G-Power from each enemy Bakugan to mine!"

With Alpha Turret still up and running, that altered the Power Levels rather drastically, to 4065 us, and 4135 them. Still not enough...until Nova blasted a fireball at Beta Core, and lowered its Power Level by yet another 100Gs. The cheerleaders were almost completely bushed at this point, but one or two of them managed a weak _huzzah_, wiggling their pom-poms a bit.

"Ability—Activate!" replied Hackett. "Subterra Increase! This adds 300G-Power to my Bakugan, though with Beta Core, that's 360. Supportive Ability—Activate! Signal Quake! This decreases your Power Level by 300, and again, with Beta Core, that's 345." The Power Levels were now at 3720 us, 4395 them.

"This is getting ridiculous," I said disgustedly. "Time to bring things down to a more even keel. Double Supportive Ability—Activate! Self-Destruct, plus Aftershock! Self-Destruct takes Alpha Turret out of the game, but brings both Power Levels down (or up, as the case may be) to 1000G-Power. Aftershock, when played directly after another Supportive Ability, transfers 250Gs from your Power Level to ours."

Phasorak ejected himself out of Alpha Turret's hub as quick as he could—and not a moment too soon, for next thing we knew, there was an enormous _BOOM! _and a wave of bent metal plates, gears and gizmos went everywhere.

"You know, when you said _self-destruct_, I didn't think it would _actually _blow itself up." said Narov, almost pettishly.

"Neither did I." I admitted. "But it's alright. Look, it's formed itself back into a mini-pyramid!" With a charming-but-annoying smile, I held it up for him to see.

"Amazing!" he cried. "AMAZING! STUNNING! UNBELIEVABLE! ...Have the Power Levels changed yet?"

"Uh-huh," I said, checking my BakuPod. "We're 500 ahead."

"Not for much longer, chaps!" grinned Kate. "Double Supportive Ability—Activate! Summon Enhancer, plus Gale Warning! Summon Enhancer brings Omega Striker over to this Gate Card, and Gale Warning, which is unique to my Enhancer, prevents all opponents from using any kinds of cards to directly alter the Power Levels." Now the Power Levels stood at 1250 for us and 2090 for them, and it seemed as though we were in something of a quandary.

"I'm all out of cards," I said to Narov. "Have you got anything that will work against the Gale Warning effect?"

"Just this," said Narov, holding up an Ability card and breaking into an enormous (and slightly disturbing) smile, "but I suspect it will be enough." With that, he placed it with infinite and infuriating care into the sliding panel, slid said panel into place, and activated the card. "Ability card, Activate! Resurrect!"

To our collective amazement, two white-gold marbles suddenly rose up off the floor and flew over to join the battle, where they stood and revealed Haos Storm Falconeer and Haos Telekinetic Juggernoid! Mine and Narov's Power Level suddenly shot up to 2330. Our Bakugan, Microgan and Enhancers converged on our opponents as one and sent them sprawling into the dust, garnering us the victory. The fangirls had now flopped into a sprawling, bloodstained heap. But they still croaked out a cheer, and twitched their pom-poms.

"Knife!" one squeaked feebly. "Knife! He'll save your life! He'll help you out of strife! Our lives his virtues with are rife! He's—"

"That's the most horrid cheer I've ever heard!" Kate shouted.

"Doesn't matter!" the cheerleader shot back. "It's not for _your _ears, you impertinent hussy! You—" She was cut off by a fit of coughing. Her friends began to groan.

"We'd better call the paramedics..." I said.

"What are those supposed to be?" one of the girls snorted weakly. "Leprechauns?"

I shook my head slowly, while Kate pulled out a phone as the Field and Gates finally vanished. Whilst she was phoning the paramedics, Hackett finally managed to speak. "But... But, how—how did you _do _that?" he stammered at last. "How'd you pull out such a crafty win?"

"Secrets of the Haos style, Captain," said Narov with another, smaller smile. "Our practise is to hit hard when the opponent least expects it."

"Indeed, brilliant job, you two." Kate approved, finishing her call and pocketing her phone again. "That was marvellously done. I believe I've yet to see someone play Haos as well as you do, Colonel. However, I regret to inform you all that I must be off, as I've some visitors to entertain at home tonight. Catch you later, Colonel, Phyra..._Trap_."

"Is she having a go at me?" Hackett demanded of Narov as Kate left.

"Probably," smirked Narov.

"Oi!" I called after Kate. "Speaking of entertaining visitors, will you be joining me for lunch tomorrow at my flat, as I proposed earlier?"

"I reckon," she grinned, before disappearing. "As long as there's chocolate."

"Dude, you said there wasn't anything going on between you." said Hackett, nudging me.

"There isn't." I replied coolly. "Your head's just not on straight. She's like the older sister I never—" Suddenly, I broke off as an unwanted memory suddenly thrust its way into my train of thought. There had been someone else I'd considered as being sisterly to me, once. Someone with long hair and a sweet smile... "Well, excuse me, gentlemen. I'm, er, late for an appointment with my smoking jacket," I murmured vaguely, without actually realising what I'd said. "Talk to you later."

"Is it just me, or did he say his _smoking jacket?_" Hackett inquired, facing Narov as I turned to leave.

"No, it's just you." said Narov, face-palming, just as an ambulance arrived to cart the moaning cheer squad off to hospital.

* * *

"OI! Rise and shine, your king and country need you!" Nova's piercing yell caused me to wake with a start, falling out of bed with a loud _thunk_.

"What the hell was _that _for?" I complained, rubbing my head. "Now you've messed up my hair!"

"As though it wasn't a total bird's nest already," snorted Nova, hovering a few inches away from my face. "But seriously, folks—er, folk—no, that's not right either. Anyway, you've got company today, remember?"

I swatted him away playfully, before standing up and remembering that Kate was coming for lunch. "You're right," I said. "I'd better render this prestigious residence suitable for the presence of decent inhabitants."

"Meaning, you need to tidy up all your crapso you can have a lady over?" chuckled Nova.

"Correct," I said, walking towards the door of the bedroom. "But don't _ever _tell Kate that I allowed anyone to refer to her as a lady without contradiction or I'll never hear the end of it."

"Hey," called Nova. "Aren't you going to put on your clothes _before _leaving the room?"

"Who needs clothes?" I demanded. "My pyjamas will do just fine for housework, thank you."

"Riiight..." said Nova, following me into the hall. "Even though you _still _wear your Pikachu flannelettes."

"Shut up," I growled, entering the bathroom. I then proceeded to check my hair carefully in the mirror, apply some conditioner, and leave without brushing my teeth, because _everyone_ knows my teeth are always immaculate anyway.

After about an hour of picking up random rubbish off the floor and cramming it into all kinds of obscure places, I did a little light dusting ("Not wearing our frilly pink apron today?" inquired Nova. "It's at the dry cleaner's." I said, glowering at him), some vacuuming and sweeping, and then satisfied myself that all was clean and sparkling—or very nearly so, at any rate.

"You know," Nova said thoughtfully, "I really thought that most boys your age were a great deal messier than you. Are you _absolutely _sure you're not a girl?"

"Shall I _prove_ it to you?" I teased, raising my eyebrows suggestively (though in reality, I wasn't entirely sure what I was implying).

"Um." he muttered darkly. "No. I'll take your word for it."

"Right, then. Time to get dressed," I said briskly, glancing at the clock, which showed the time to be at ten forty-five. "If I hurry, I should be able to pick up some supplies at the supermarket before my guest arrives."

"Yes..." Nova mused. "It _is_ rather convenient and all, the king giving you this apartment and everything, isn't it? You're at a comfortable distance from the military bases and stuff, and also have access to all the best amusements and shops that Reim has to offer. Lucky you, eh?"

"Perks of being one of the best men the king's got, matey," I said lazily, re-entering my room and digging through a basket of neatly folded clothes.

"Sorry," he remarked drily from outside. "I forgot. You're _so _modest, aren't you?"

"False modesty never got anyone anywhere," I said seriously, selecting an armful of miscellaneous clothes at random. They turned out to be my favourite old navy-blue cargo pants, a black T-shirt, and my bright yellow _SpongeBob_ hoodie. I then grabbed a couple of odd socks, one red with black stripes, the other pale green, with a blue rabbit and the words _Rapturous Spinster_ on it. I _still _hadn't figured out what that meant, but it sounded cool.

As I pulled off my pyjama top, I heard a sharp intake of breath behind me. Turning around, I saw Nova. "When did _you _come in?" I demanded.

"Where in Great Blackness of Darkus Space did you get all those scars?" he gasped, disregarding my question.

"What scars?" I asked, bemused.

"Those white criss-crossed lines on your back," he said, sounding choked. "They're horrible."

"Oh, those." I said, pulling on the T-shirt. "You _could _say they're, well, a memento."


	23. Chapter Twenty-Two: Company

**Chapter Twenty-Two – Company, Expected and Otherwise**

"A memento?" Nova echoed.

"Yes," I said shortly. "A reminder of the last time Kyros and I met." I turned away from Nova as I slipped the yellow top over my head. I didn't want him to see my eyes turning dark the way they did whenever I thought of Kyros. _"Do you want to know what this is, Vyander? _I shook my head roughly, only half-listening as Nova spoke again quietly.

"You never told me he did that to you." he said.

"No point, really." I said, forcing a laugh which sounded distorted even to my own ears. "It's not as if this is the kind of topic I enjoy discussing, now, is it? Besides," I added in a more placid tone, "I find it hard to believe you haven't seen them before in all our time together."

"Well, I hardly make a habit of watching you get dressed," he said drily, "but there's no need to change the subject—"

"Look, I don't need to talk about this!" I burst out. "It's just a few _scars_. It's not as if the wounds are still there. They've healed, and so have I. I'm over it all, now."

"No, no you're not." said Nova firmly. "You can say that all you want, but it's not true. You might have convinced yourself that you're past this, but you haven't convinced _me_. I can tell that you're not over it."

"What do you—h" I began angrily, but he continued relentlessly, ignoring my protests.

"Your physical scars might not hurt any more, but mental scars are something different. The pain has certainly grown lesser, number over time—of that I am certain, but dulled pain and no pain are not the same thing, not by half. I've seen you at night, waking up screaming all the time, and I've seen you when you think I'm not around. Your expression turns cold and distant, and the colour in your eyes fades. Every time one of us mentions Siege, you flinch ever so slightly. Do you take me for a fool, assuming I know nothing of this? Do you even know it yourself?" He stopped, and for several moments simply hovered there, staring at me. I looked back, lost for words, my eyes feeling oddly hot and itchy.

"You..." I managed to get out at last. "You knew."

"All along." he replied quietly.

"So..." I trailed off.

"Exactly," he said. "You know I care."

"I was going to say," I said, face-palming, "_so you've been stalking me._"

"Oh..." he said, seeming vaguely disappointed. "Right."

By this time, I was fully-dressed, having tugged on the cargo pants and slipped on my socks and shoes. "Okay," I said, now more or less back to normal. "Time for breakfast, and then I'll be off to the supermarket. While I'm out, would you be so kind as to put the oven on, and ensure we have adequate supplies of tea, coffee and other widgets—oh, and fill the kettle?"

Nova heaved an irritable sigh. "Alright," he said, "but don't be gone long, or else I'll have to amuse myself with your console player.

"Don't you dare," I said warningly, pouring a mound of brightly coloured cereal into a bowl. "I've got, like, seventy-five saved games on that thing. Mess with one, and I might just have to destroy you."

Nova snickered as I ate the entire bowlful of dry, crunchy stuff—I hate milk—and then tossed the bowl into the sink, attempting an impressive three-pointer. I met with mixed success. It came off beautifully, but even as I fist-pumped, there arose the sharp sound of shattering crockery. I winced.

"Good one," smirked Nova, looking briefly away from the upper cupboard, where I kept my tea things.

"Pooh," I said, lobbing the spoon in the same direction as the bowl, "it was a cheap piece of junk anyway." I replaced the cereal box in the pantry, then bid Nova goodbye and exited the apartment, grabbing my lucky black cap as I went. In the walkway between apartments, I met Mr Wilson, my eccentric old neighbour. He was carrying his cat, Corey-Sue, under his arm. "Morning, Mr Wilson." I said unenthusiastically.

"Wotch yer language," Mr Wilson muttered sharply, staring very hard at my midriff, "and mind the port-holes. They're _acting up._"

"Don't you worry, I'll be careful." I said, rolling my eyes as I passed him by. A few minutes later, I had arrived at the lobby, stridden through the front doors of the building and entered the Royal City of Reim. Considering it was populated by a vast number of Staryans, it was really quite an attractive place—not too overcrowded, nice wide walkways, plenty of greenery, that sort of thing.

It was a nice, sunny weekend, and the streets were filled with busy shoppers and party-goers trotting to and fro, to the malls and plazas, theatres and cinemas. I had an enjoyable twenty-five minute walk down to the nearest supermarket, where I grabbed all the ingredients I needed to make a lasagne for lunch. Ever since I'd started living on my own, I'd been filled with a resolve to be a far better cook than the one back at the BBS, and by now I was quite proficient at several simpler dishes—or just enough to keep up a varied diet, at any rate. As an afterthought, I picked up several slabs of chocolate as well. We all need chocolate from time to time.

I paid for the food, then lugged my bags back to the apartment. Praise be to all the known and unknown Fateful Forces, I didn't meet Mr Wilson again, and without further incident, I had the lasagne baking in the oven. Nova hadn't interfered with my console player, either, which was highly pleasing. "So, how'd you cope without my magnificent omnipresence?" I asked, assuming a grandiose air and a wide smile.

"Do you even know what that means?" Nova demanded with a snort.

"Er, no. Anyway—" I changed the subject rapidly. "—I'm going up to my room to practise my guitar. Will you call me if the doorbell rings?"

"How about...no?" he shot back with a hint of smugness. "My television shows are going to be on in about five minutes, and if I miss so much as a _second_ of my programme, my entire life will be ruined. So, no. Definitely not."

"Hey!" I protested. "That's _my _television set we're talking about!"

"And that's _my _cereal you've been eating." he pointed out loftily.

"_You_ don't eat it." I mumbled.

"That's not the point. _My _fangirls send it to me. It's _my_ cereal. Period."

"Fine, have it your way." I sighed. "Guitar practise will have to wait, then."

"Thank Eve for _that_," sighed Nova with relief, sitting on the remote button and turning on his favourite show, _Fawlty Towers_.

"Why do you even watch this rot?" I demanded, flopping onto the couch as Sybil's voice floated out from the speakers...

"_If I find out that the money on the horse was yours, Basil, you know what I'll do."_

"_...You'll have to sew 'em back on first!" _Basil replied sharply.

"It is _not_ rot!" cried an incensed Nova, muffling the sound of the television slightly. "Just because it doesn't have guns and explosions and excessive coarse language and other beastly stuff like that doesn't mean it's rot!"

"Don't overreact," I laughed. "You know I'm joking." At that point, there was a knock at the door. "Come in if you're good-looking!" I sang out gaily, switching the telly off again to squealed protests from Nova, which I ignored. An insurance salesman appeared on the threshold.

"Greetings and salutations, my good man—" he began.

"Eeeeewww!" I shrieked, slamming the door in his face. "You're not good-looking at all!" When I had satisfied myself that he had gone away, I tore back to the couch and vaulted over the back of it, landing square in the middle of the cushioned seat to creaks and groans from the springs.

"Very mature," said Nova gruffly. "Now, turn it back on. I'm missing the show." I complied, and we sat there for another half-hour or so until the episode finished, whereupon I flicked the television off again, just as another knock sounded at the door. I went over to answer it, checking my watch as I went. It was now getting on for one-o-clock.

I opened the door and... "Greetings and salutations!" Kate announced, beaming at me.

"Cheesecakes, what _is _it with you people today?" I uttered. "You're the second person to say that in less than an hour!"

"Who can say?" she asked cheerfully, stepping through the frame as I motioned for her to come inside. "Oh, by the bye, I hope you don't mind, but it seems I've had some unexpected visitors myself. They absolutely refuse to leave me alone, so I brought them along."

"That's fine. Who might these visitors be?" I asked, peering quizzically behind her.

"Um, Phyra, meet my parents, Josephine and Quentin Newbell." she said, gesturing to a short, formally-dressed, middle-aged couple who stood in the hall outside, looking at everything with the most _unnerving _expression, somewhere between vague distaste and mild curiosity.

"You got a decent job?" Mr Newbell questioned at last, somewhat aggressively, scrutinising me the way you might size up a large piece of fruitcake. "Because there's no way I'm giving either of you my blessing unless you have a stable occupation, above-average income, and a cherry-red tuxedo. I won't have my future son-in-law wearing anything else."

"Nice to meet you too," I murmured, before adding politely. "Won't you come in and join us for lunch?"

"Does the food have any soy products, lactose or peanuts?" Mrs Newbell—a rather obese woman with a quaint little pair of eyeglasses—put in pompously. "Because my practising GP says I mustn't eat any of those."

"So far as I know, madam, none of those items are in the lasagne," I smiled, inviting them in with a wave of my hand.

"Or any artificial colours or flavours?" pressed Mrs Newbell sharply. "Or sodium glutamate? Or gelatine? Or sugar? Or added preservatives? Or—"

"_Please_, Mum," said Kate, clearly chagrined by her parents' behaviour. "I'm sure it will be fine. Or," she added, on a hopeful note, "perhaps you and Dad would like to go out for lunch together? ("Like, to Milliways, maybe," I muttered in amusement.) You haven't done that in—"

"_Certainly _not!" cried a shocked Mr Newbell, who had by this time stepped delicately through the frame and was surveying my apartment with a dimly calculating eye. "What on Starsector would all my colleagues say if they knew I'd left my _only_ daughter with a young bachelor of...as-yet _unknown intent?_"

"Won't you sit down?" I said, changing the subject as Kate rolled her eyes.

"Oh dear," said Mrs Newbell faintly. "These chairs—are they made purely from recycled wood?"

"Actually, they're plast— I mean, yes." I back-pedalled hastily, noting the look of horror on her face. After that minor incident, the Newbells calmed down to some degree. I went to fetch the lasagne from the oven, leaving Nova to entertain my guests while I dished up. Kate followed me into the kitchen.

"Hey, Phyra, I'm really sorry about all this—" she began.

"Don't worry about it," I chortled good-naturedly. "You're lucky to have folks as entertaining as them." _Or to have folks at all, for that matter... _The smile vanished from my face, and I turned away momentarily as I continued to spoon the pasta onto plates.

"Oh," said Kate, not noticing my sudden quietness. "I've never really thought of it that way. Hey, are you alright?" She stared at me and I realised I had been dumping lasagne onto the bench-top for the last half a minute.

"Uh, sorry," I said, snapping myself out of my semi-trance. "I just went out of it for a second. Here, could you please help me carry these plates out?"

"Of course," she replied, taking one in each hand and carefully moving out to transfer them to the table. I picked up the remaining two and did the same. When I took my place, I found Nova doing a distinctly second-rate tap dance in the middle of the dining table, while the Newbells looked on in fascination.

"Hey, don't scratch the varnish!" I cried in dismay, causing him to stop and turn to me.

"Well, _you_ said to amuse the guests," he said reproachfully, "so I just thought I'd—"

"Look," I sighed, "there's a time and a place for discussing the exact definition of _amuse_, but it's not now. Tuck in, everyone." Nova went off in a huff, while the rest of us took up cutlery and began to eat.

"Wow, Phyra," said Kate, impressed. "Under normal circumstances, I'm not much of a pasta person, but I have to say that this is amazing. However did you manage it?"

"Well," I said, pleased, but blushing slightly, "basically, I was determined that never again would I eat horrible food like what we used to get at the BBS, so I bought a couple of recipe books, watched a few episodes of _The Naked Chef—_"

"I _beg _your pardon?" gasped Mrs Newbell, dropping her glasses and swallowing so quickly that she began to choke.

"A cooking show," I said apologetically, while Mr Newbell thumped his aggravated wife on the back. "Anyway, I picked up a few tricks, and here we are. By the way, Kate, where's Rox today?"

"He went mad and they shot him," said Kate casually.

"You're not _serious_." I half-asked, half-accused.

"No, I'm not. Actually, he was convinced that he had some kind of ultimate dandruff or something, so I sent him off to the doctor." she amended disinterestedly. "How about Nova? How's he coping after everything?"

"Pretty well," I said. "Although he had this funny turn the other night—collapsed on the floor halfway through his evening reading session. It gave me quite a shock, but he pulled through fine, and he's been perfectly healthy ever since..." I trailed off, and an awkward silence settled over all for a few minutes. I cast about for another subject. "So, Mr Newbell." I said at last. "What is it you do, again?"

"My business, Llama Inc., handles the management of llama migration between Arms," said Mr Newbell portentously, "and controls the flow of domestic llamas in and out of Reim."

"I see," I said, not seeing at all.

"You know," said Kate reminiscently, "while the three of us were in the elevator, we ran into this _really _weird guy, who was wearing this hat, which looked kind of like a rabid cow, and—"

"Did he have this really irritating little moustache?" I asked knowingly.

"Yes..." said Kate suspiciously. "How'd you know?"

"He's my neighbour, Mr Wilson," I said with just a hint of a smile. "He's pretty odd. I think he's three plates short of a picnic, if you know what I mean. What did he say?"

"He said," said Kate, starting to giggle, "that he'd never seen such a pretty girl in his life—except he was pointing at Dad when he spoke." She and I laughed, while Mr Newbell turned beet-red and glared. After that, Kate and her mum turned to talking about all the usual boring topics females seem to find so interesting, and Mr Newbell and I pretty much just sat and stared at each other for the remainder of lunch, eating our pasta in silence.

"Well," I said, when all was finished, "it's been quite a pleasure to have you all so far. Is anyone up for chocolate before you depart?"

"I AM!" Kate squealed ecstatically, bouncing up and down in her seat.

"Really, dear, that's no way to behave at the table," Mr Newbell rebuffed.

"Yes, and besides, if you eat too much of that stuff, you'll get fat," added Mrs Newbell. I privately thought that this sounded a bit rich coming from her, but I held my peace and fetched the chocolate anyway. Kate and I then proceeded to eat the entire lot, ignoring the affronted glances from our most refined onlookers. Soon afterwards, Kate and her parents took their leave, and I, after waving them off, set to washing the dishes. Nova presently came downstairs, having got over his sulking, and plonked himself in front of the box again.

"You're turning into a real couch potato these days," I said above the noise of _Sir Gadabout_.

"Don't give me that hogwash," snorted Nova. "I'm still fit as a fiddle. I just need to catch up on my R&R."

"Fine," I conceded, swiping the tea towel from its place under the fridge and beginning to dry up the plates. After that, I decided to get out my guitar again. I'd only started learning it shortly before we were sent on Operation Vestroia, and I was in need of a great deal of practise. I'd never thought of myself as being musical, much less a guitarist, but I found the sound of the music oddly comforting during those awful lonely moments I stillhad on occasion.

As I brought the instrument out of its case and sat down on one of the dining room chairs, my eye caught the glint of something gold under the table. Bending down to pick it up, I saw that it was Mrs Newbell's eyeglasses. _That's right, she dropped them when I mentioned _The Naked Chef_. _I thought, turning them carefully over in my hands.

I decided to give Kate a call and see if she needed them brought over to her flat. Picking up the phone, I dialled her number and waited while the tone beeped, absently twisting the cord around my finger (I actually had at least three mobile phones in addition to the conventional cord phone, but had never as yet found an occasion to use any of them) as I did so. Finally, she answered. "Hello?"

"Hi, Kate. It's me again," I said brightly.

"What, are you stalking me now?" Kate demanded.

"No!" I said hastily. "It's just that I think your mother left her eyeglasses behind, so I was wondering if you want me to bring them over to your place?"

I heard her sigh loudly on the other end. "Well, that tells you a lot about Mum." Kate said wearily. "She's _always _leaving those stupid things everywhere—but no, don't trouble yourself. I'll come over and collect them later—that is, if you'll still be home."

"Yeah, no worries, see you later, then." I said, then hung up. I went back to my seat and began to play. The genre I played varied depending on my mood—sometimes classical if I felt sad or calm, rock if I was angry or excited, and pop if I was just cheerful. Occasionally I dabbled around with other things if I was feeling bored, random, hungry, whimsical, or even downright obnoxious.

After about thirty minutes or so, there was a quiet tap at the door. I grinned to myself and put my guitar down as I went to answer it. When I opened the door, however, the person standing outside wasn't Kate, or anyone else I recognised. It was a young woman of average height, with long golden hair that covered her face almost completely as she stared down at her feet. "Um," I said, confused. "Can I...help you?"

She looked up at me, showing sad hazel eyes which fixed on me with a gaze that would have been considered intense by most, and even rude by some. Her overall demeanour was pitiful, almost pleading. "Hello, Phyra," she said mournfully.

I stared at her, wondering how she knew my name... Then a small green and white sphere emerged from her pocket and opened up on her shoulder. "Vrip?" it said.

In one swift, fluid motion, the expression on my face changed from confusion to shock...and then to hatred. "You," I snarled.


	24. Chapter Twenty-Three: Feelings I Harbour

**Chapter Twenty-Three – Feelings I Harbour Towards You**

It was indeed Rebecca. In the three years since I'd last seen her, she'd undergone a dazzling metamorphosis, from a pretty girl to a beautiful woman. She was neither a bawdy trollop nor a delicate maiden, but quite simply the loveliest thing I'd seen in a long, long time. And I hated her all the more for it.

"What are you doing here?" I spat angrily. "How did you find me? What's going on?"

"Please understand, Phyra," whimpered Rebecca, raising her hands defensively. "I wanted to talk to you."

"What could you _possibly _have to say to me that I'd want to hear?" I asked bitterly. "You of _all_ people should have a good idea of just what kind of feelings I harbour towards you. Just go away and leave me alone. I don't ever want to clap eyes on you again."

"Phyra, please." she repeated, her eyes sparkling with tears. "You need to hear me out."

"Why don't you go take a long walk off a short pier?" I answered harshly, turning away from her.

"You don't know how much I've wanted to," she said in a low voice. "But I can't. He needs me—"

"Who needs you?" I demanded. "_Kyros? _Because if that's so, then you can tell him to get—"

"No!" Rebecca screamed hysterically, balling her hands into fists. Her tears were running freely now. "Not _Kyros! _My _father!_ Kyros is working for the Sektarii. When my father went on his mission into the Sector, he didn't go missing, Kyros abducted him! If I don't do as Kyros says, my father... He'll—" She broke off for a moment, and looked directly at me. "He'll die_._" she said, her voice little above a whisper. "What would you do in my place, Phyra? _What would you do?_" Here she stopped talking altogether and collapsed into a chair, sobbing.

I stared blankly at a patch of wallpaper somewhere above her head, her words echoing in my ears: _"...What would you do? ...What would you do? ...What would you do? ...What would you do?..."_

"_Jet!" I called. "Jet! Look at what I made!"_

"_Very good, Phyra," he said, examining the copper knife I'd forged. "It's almost as good as any _I _could make. I see, then, you've been picking up those hints I've been dropping randomly all over the place. I reckon someone's going to have some news for his parents tonight. Why not go and give your mum a call, and then we'll grab some dinner?"_

"_Sounds great, Jet." I beamed, running upstairs to my room above the workshop. I picked up the phone and pushed a series of buttons I knew off by heart. _

_A few minutes later, the voice I remembered so well answered. "Hello? Phyra, is that you?"_

"_Yeah, hi, Mum." I said excitedly. "Guess what? I made a copper knife today!"_

"_Wow, Phyra, that's fantastic." she laughed. "Not that copper knives are particularly useful or anything, but hey, I'm not one to burst bubbles."_

_I started to reply, when there was a loud _CRASH _and the sound of screaming. "What was that?" I asked my mother in alarm._

"_I—I don't know," she stammered. "I'll go and see. Hold on a minute." I waited...and waited, growing more and more terrified at the sound of clashing steel and yelling, surrounded by a hideous rasping and hissing. No one picked up the phone again, and even as the line went dead, there was another crash, louder than the first. _

_I dropped the receiver, running full-pelt down the stairs, screaming at the top of my voice. "Jet! JET! _JET!_" _

I lowered my head, not wishing for Rebecca to see the tears that had sprung to my eyes. "Alright," I said, trying to keep my voice steady, "I'll hear what you have to say, but—" I looked up again, putting on as fierce an expression as I could muster. "_But_," I repeated, "that does noton any account mean that I'm going to believe you."

Rebecca wiped her own eyes and nodded. "Thank you," she said. "You see, Kyros—"

"You said he was working for the Sektarii?" I interrupted.

"Yes," affirmed Rebecca, seemingly thankful to be able to confide in someone. "He is. I don't know what kind of motive could have induced him to do such a terrible thing, but he is. Perhaps I should start at the beginning. As I have previously told you, Dad was sent out on a mission somewhere in the Sector. A while afterwards, he went missing. At first, I didn't know why, until a strange dark-haired boy came to my house one day, and introduced himself to me as Kyros. I didn't know what to make of him from the start, but then he dropped a hint about my father. I asked him what he meant, and he said that he knew where I could find Dad. Of course, I asked him to show me, so he took me to a building which I would come to know later as his fortress—"

"How did you get there?" I interjected sharply, thinking that the information would be useful.

"We—we followed a path through the mountains in the Outer Rim sect beyond the Northeast Arm, and a telepoint a the end of the path took us there," she said. I nodded to myself, then motioned brusquely for her to continue. "It was there," said Rebecca, "that he took me to a cell, where I saw my dad locked up. He was terribly injured, and had—" She broke off, shuddering at the memory. "—had lost an eye. I asked Kyros if he could help me free my father, but Kyros just laughed this terrible, cold laugh, and said he couldn't. When I asked him why, he said that his _masters_ had need for Dad to be kept contained. He then went on to say that if I helped him complete his task, then Dad would be freed."

"And you accepted." I said flatly.

"Of _course_ I accepted!" Rebecca yelled. "I was ready to do _anything _to get my father back, and Kyros knew it!"

"Well, what was the task?" I asked.

"Kyros told me," said Rebecca, more calmly this time, "that his masters ordered him to seek a Bakugan. Not just any Bakugan, though. A—"

"Pyrus Bakugan." I finished, somehow knowing already what she was going to say. "He needed to find the last Pyrus Bakugan, didn't he?"

Y-yes," said Rebecca slowly. "How did you know?"

"I guessed," I replied simply. "So, he told you that he needed to find the last Pyrus. Did he ever mention who his _masters_ were, or why they needed this Bakugan?"

"Not then," said Rebecca. "I had to trust blindly that what he was doing wasn't something bad—"

"As if Kyros were capable of doing anything else," I said acerbically.

"Please try to understand, Phyra," pleaded Rebecca. "I didn't know anything about what Kyros would do back then. All I knew was that my dad was in danger and I had to try and help him. Surely you don't blame me for that?"

"You should have been more careful about your actions!" I snapped. "You ought to have known where this was all leading."

"I know," she said quietly. "You're right...I just..."

"Never mind," I said heavily. "What's done is done. What happened after you agreed to help Kyros? Did he tell you anything about his plan? How was he going to try and find the last Pyrus Bakugan?" I looked expectantly at Rebecca, awaiting the answers to my questions, answers which would hopefully unravel this hopeless tangle of mystery that had surrounded me for so long.

"Kyros had figured out for himself that this Pyrus would be hidden inside a Pyrus Ability card," said Rebecca, "so his plan was basically to attend the Bakugan Brawler Squad, for a great many Ability cards are constantly filtering through there on their way to other destinations. Kyros introduced me to some other subordinates he had somehow managed to recruit, probably in ways much like how he'd got me to work for him—"

"Rianna, Nicholas and Benjamin," I guessed.

"Yes. Kyros said to me that the two of us would attend and scour the place for Pyrus Abilities, all of which would be brought to him, to be transported over to his fortress for analysis. The other three would eventually be told this too, but not until they had proved themselves trustworthy after a trial period. We were originally all going to enrol at the same time, but I didn't pass the entrance exam first time, and had to wait until I got another chance to take the test, a few weeks later.

"When I finally got in, Kyros informed me that he had already found a small number of Pyrus Abilities, but none of them had as yet shown any signs of being the one he was looking for. They had been left at his headquarters, though, just in case. Meanwhile, Kyros had already made some enemies, it seemed—you, Jack and Kate. He told me to get close to you and see what I could find out about you... There was something about you in particular that fascinated him, Phyra, so—"

"So all the time we thought you were our friend, you were just putting on an act for us, especially me." I interposed coldly, not making it a question.

"No, Phyra, really—" she began pitiably, but I cut her off again.

"Spare me the charade," I said irritably. "I'm not interested. Just tell me what happened next. Do you know why Kyros used customised Abilities to cheat in the tournament? Did he ever tell you anything about that?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "You see, while Kyros needed to be at the BBS, having to stick to all those timetables and such made it very difficult for him to return to his fortress, or to contact his masters. So he decided that he needed to get into the Advanced Squad, in order to obtain not only a lot more free time, but also easy access to the Outer Rim and his telepoint. Obviously, _that _plan failed, but that is the reason behind his cheating. Very shortly after that, as you know, Kyros was kicked out of the BBS, but not before he'd instructed me to...you know..."

"Steal my Pyrus Ability." I finished her sentence for her. "You do realise you got me into some serious trouble doing that, don't you?"

"I know," she said, "and I'm sorry. Really, I am. It's just...by that time, I really didn't feel as though I had any other choice but to follow Kyros' orders. I'd then realised just how dangerous he was, and I didn't want him to hurt me—or Dad."

"So," I said, ignoring her, "I suppose Kyros had been weighing on your mind during that next tournament, then. That's why you acted so jittery, even to the point where being near an enormous Hornet Striker didn't bother you."

"Please forgive me, Phyra," Rebecca said suddenly, looking as though she were about to cry again. "Kyros—he contacted me in the middle of that tournament, and told me what he would do if you won the tournament. He said that he was going to kill both you and—and Siege, but if I warned you, he would execute Dad right in front of my eyes, and—"

I wasn't listening to her excuses. The minute she'd said _kill_, my mind had suddenly been thrown into a disorderly whirl of activity. _Kill. Kyros was going to kill me. Me and Siege...and she knew. She knew it the whole time... _"You'd have let him kill me." I stated. My voice sounded unnaturally neutral to my ears.

Rebecca didn't make any move to contradict me. "Phyra, you were, for a short time, the best friend I had ever known," she whispered, "but my father was in danger, and I knew that Kyros wouldn't hesitate to carry out his threat if he so needed. How can you know what it's like to have to choose between friend and family? How can you know what torture I had to go through?"

"You're no friend of mine," I spat, "and you never will be."

"I understand—" she said.

"No, no you don't." I argued. "You don't understand. My best friend died, _I_ almost died, and you come brazenly in here and tell me that you knew it would happen and didn't do a single thing to prevent this. What could you understand about that? I don't want your pity, or any apology you have to offer. I just want to know what you're doing in my house."

"The thing is," she said, "you're not completely out of danger yet. Kyros built something, a device of some sort, which he said he would use to find the last Pyrus. His Sektarii associates went and collected everything he needed to build it. When they brought these items back, I finally discovered Kyros' real cause. I knew who it was he was working for, our ancient enemies...and I'd been helping him all along." She buried her face in her hands, weeping again. Then, for just a second, a tiny crack appeared in the cold shell I'd withdrawn into during this conversation, and I suddenly felt a sweep of pity for her, having to deal with all of this... Then I remembered everything she had done to me, and the pity was driven away, snuffed out like a candle in a snowstorm.

"And this device," I said briefly, "what was it made of?" I already knew the answer, but I wanted to hear it just the same.

"Six strange-looking objects," said Rebecca, "recovered from Vestroia. A glass orb, a copper staff, a stone rune, a dark sword, a piece of amber, and an icicle. Kyros used these to create what looked like a Bakugan. He said that it would find the last Pyrus Bakugan for him, and it—"

"And it did..." I murmured, suddenly understanding. "It _did_ find the last Pyrus...so that means..."

"That Kyros knows you have it," Rebecca finished, "and he wants it from you."

I didn't reply to this. I wouldn't have said later that I had been scared at that moment, but I certainly hadn't been fearless either. _Kyros knows I have Nova. _I thought numbly. _He wants to take Nova away from me. _When I thought I'd got my feelings under control, I spoke again, keeping my voice reasonably calm. "I'd like to know one more thing," I said. "If your dad is in such danger, why are you risking everything to tell me all this? I certainly don't believe that remorse could be such a strong incentive."

"Oh, but it is," she cried, catching hold of my wrists. "It is, it is! You cannot possibly know how sorry I am. You can't imagine the pain—"

"Go tell that to Aunt Fanny," I said rudely, shaking her off.

"But it's true!" she shrieked. "And no matter how cold and distant you pretend to be, it will always be the truth. I wish I could undo everything, bring Siege back, but I can't! What I _can _do is warn you of what is to come. Kyros—"

"STOP WITH THE LIES!" I shouted. "What's the _real _reason you're here?"

"I told you already," she sobbed, "but if you won't buy it, then know this: he's _killed_ them, Phyra. Rianna and Benjamin are dead. I—I found their bodies on the floor of Kyros' main chamber. It was horrible, Phyra, and I think—I think Nicholas and I might be next. You've no idea what it is to be caught up in such a mess, Phyra, not knowing if death could fall on you at any moment..."

"You knew it would happen to me, yet you did nothing!" I yelled. "Why should you expect me to be any different?"

"Because," she said softly, wiping her eyes with one hand, and taking mine in the other, "you're _you_, not me. You said to me once that everyone has a choice. I disagreed then...but now I know you were right. I had a choice, but I couldn't face it. I took the coward's way out, and let Kyros manipulate me to his purpose, even though I knew it was wrong...and I'm sorry. But doesn't this mean that you, too, have a choice? Will you make the same mistakes I did? Or will you put someone else first?"

For a fleeting second, she had caught me out completely with that one. _What _will _I do? _I asked myself silently, staring at her. Before I could make any attempt at an answer, however, there was another knock at the door. The both of us turned sharply, remaining rooted to the spot. After a moment, the door swung open, and in strode Kate.

"Hey, Phyra, I'm here to collect—" Kate began, not looking our way at first as she closed the door behind her...then she took a couple of steps forward, and her gaze landed on us, and she fell silent.

An uncomfortable pause stretched eerily throughout the room as Rebecca and I gaped at Kate, and she looked back, taking in the scene before her. Without thinking about it, I wrenched my hand from Rebecca's grasp. Around a minute passed before the silence was broken by Nova suddenly emerging from the TV room with a satisfied grunt and zooming past us without a second glance, muttering something about getting a cup of coffee.

Finally, I got up the nerve to speak. "Um, hi, Kate. Your mum's glasses are on the dining table, and oh, by the way, remember Rebecca? Well, she's come back, and—" I trailed off pathetically as Kate, ignoring me, strode towards Rebecca, her expression black as thunder.

"So," she said. "I see you're back."

"Kate," stuttered Rebecca. "It's not what you thi—"

"And just what is it, then?" roared Kate, dismissing my second attempt to explain. "You thought you'd just dance in here and seduce Phyra into believing some cooked-up mess of lies so you could get back into his good books, eh? Well I'll tell ye, ye wee terror, tha' it's no' goonna be tha' easeh, ye ken!?" Neither Rebecca nor I questioned the fact that Kate seemed to have switched to another accent mid-rant.

"Kate, it's not like that at all," I said, trying to regain control of the conversation. "Rebecca wasn't trying to seduce me, she came here to warn me—"

"_WHY_ ARE YOU TAKING HER SIDE?" screamed Kate, reverting to her normal dialect. "It's because of her that Siege is dead! She betrayed you to Kyros, and he murdered your guardian! How can you be so quick to—"

Kate was interrupted as Nova whizzed through the room again, somehow managing to drag a mug of coffee and a bag of potato chips along with him. "Afternoon, all." he mumbled, disappearing into the television room again. Presently, the theme song to _Marple _could be heard issuing forth from the set.

Rebecca took this opportunity to back out of the room. "I see you all still hate me," she said quietly, "and I don't suppose I'll ever be able to convince you to think otherwise. I'm sorry to have taken up your time, Phyra, but just remember this: the white whale knows." With that last cryptic comment, she vanished out the door, leaving a highly tense atmosphere behind her.

"What...did she mean?" uttered Kate at last, still not completely calm.

"I haven't the slightest idea," I said honestly. "Um...I'll just...go and get those glasses." I darted into the dining room, unsure of what to think, how to feel or react to all that had happened. I was still angry at Rebecca, but I wasn't sure if I hated her or not. As for Kate, I wasn't really happy about her interrupting the conversation, but I also had to admit that she might have had a point. _Was _everything Rebecca had said a lie? Surely, if Kyros had a hold over her, she wouldn't dare to defy him just to come and tell me all his secrets...so was it a trap? And yet... _"He's killed them, Phyra. Rianna... Benjamin... Dead... I found their bodies... Nicholas and I might be next..." _I swiped the eyeglasses from the table and walked back out of the room.

"So, are you going to tell me what that was all about?" Kate asked stiffly, as I handed the glasses to her. I repeated to her briefly all that Rebecca had told me. She didn't ask questions or contradict anything I said, but I could also tell that she was having trouble believing me. "But how do you know that all this is true, then?" she questioned at last, as if to confirm my sombre theory.

"I don't," I admitted, "but I _do_ think that it makes very little sense for her to come all the way over here, knowing how hostile we were likely to be, just to deliver a pack of lies. I mean, what could she possibly gain?"

"Most likely she was trying to get you to trust her again," Kate pointed out. "So that she could exploit you a second time."

"You're not giving her much chance," I reflected—reminding myself of just how unpleasant _I _had been.

"Does she deserve a second chance?" Kate retorted incredulously. "After everything she caused?"

"I suppose not, but is that the point?" I argued. "Maybe she was telling the truth."

"And maybe she wasn't," Kate shot back. "It just goes on in an endless circle. We've got no proof that what Rebecca told us was true, and as such, you shouldn't be so quick to trust her. However, I think it's a safe guess that _someone _will be coming after Nova sooner or later, whether they be in Kyros' employ or not. That's what we should focus on, so forget Rebecca for the moment. In the meantime, I'll be going now. Take care." She turned awkwardly on her heel and strode out the front door, pulling it shut after her. There was a _click _as the lock snapped into place, and then I was alone save for Nova, who was engrossed in watching Miss Marple solve yet another bamboozling case.

**A/N: **Oh, the drama! This is as close as I get to soap operas, guys (although I'm a little ashamed to admit that that bit with Nova interrupting them still cracks me up every time I read it). Stay tuned for more interesting plot twists down the track!


	25. Chapter Twenty-Four: That Fatal Turn

**Chapter Twenty-Four – That Fatal Turn for the Worse**

The next morning, as I lay in bed thinking over all that I'd heard yesterday, my head didn't feel any clearer. Before Kate had shown up the previous afternoon, I had been just as opposed to Rebecca's story as Kate was now...but after hearing Kate basically voice my own former opinions, I had no idea what to think. Listening to Kate was like listening to myself, and now I could hear just how unreasonable I must have sounded. And yet, it wasn't _that _far-fetched to think that Rebecca had lied to me again, was it? She'd lied before, so odds were she was more than capable of doing it again...but whenever I replayed our conversation inside my head, her voice sounded so sincere...

And what of the random hint she'd dropped right before leaving? _The white whale knows._ What kind of conclusion was I supposed to draw from something like that? And where had I heard of the white whale before?

Eventually I gave up on the question, got up, and dressed myself, pulling on a red shirt with the slogan _My Other Girl is a Corpulent Toadstool_ on it, navy-blue socks, and a pair of khaki shorts to replace the pants I'd worn before, as they had gotten lasagne sauce on them. I kept the _SpongeBob_ top, though, as I'm no fan of washing clothes needlessly. I tugged on my new red Converses, went downstairs, breakfasted, and then decided to play my guitar awhile to help as I mulled things over. Some baroque would no doubt calm my inner turmoil. Did I just say something vaguely artistic? Anyway, I played a couple of pieces with little or no trouble, but I balked halfway through the third, realising I wasn't getting anywhere.

Presently, Nova came downstairs. "So..." he said. "What's new?"

"Nothing," I said, for I'd already filled him in the night before.

"In that case," said he, "I'll just be off, then."

"Where to?" I demanded peevishly, slightly hurt that he'd been making plans without me.

"That, uh, Monarus I met at the victory dance," muttered Nova, blushing slightly. "It...sort of appears that she took a fancy to me, and invited me to go to the Royal Vegetable Museum with her."

"'Royal _Vegetable_ Museum'?" I echoed.

"Yup," replied Nova. "She's interested in plants."

"Has she never heard of botanical gardens?" I asked dubiously.

"Nah, she only likes plants you can eat. I'll be back later, barring an accident. See ya!" With that, Nova swivelled around in mid-air, hovered over to the door and disappeared, leaving me shaking my head slowly as I wondered what the world was coming to.

Undecided on what to do with the rest of my day, I absently appropriated a box of ice creams and went a-wandering downstairs into the lobby. I then spent about half an hour in simple enjoyment, going up and down in the elevator.

After I'd been given funny looks from about ten people, I exited the building and sat outside in one of the numerous courtyards that could be found all over Reim, staring mindlessly into the heart of a pretty fountain display and eating the ice creams at the same time. The feeling of the sun shining down on everything was a lovely one, but I soon grew tired of idling there, so I wandered into a nearby bookstore to purchase something to read. I selected a bright yellow book with a screaming chipmunk on the front cover and bought it without even stopping to read the title.

After that, I tossed the ice cream box into a nearby bin and made my way back to my apartment, reading the book as I went. It was called _View of the Behind_, and turned out to be a story about a chipmunk which was constantly following this girl around, screaming its head off. Charming.

When I arrived back on my floor, I tiptoed through the hall as quietly as I could, not wanting to arouse Mr Wilson from his early afternoon nap. When I walked into my flat, with a loud proclamation of "Home is the hunter, home from the hill!", I found that Nova was already back, and making himself a sandwich. I couldn't possibly guess why, as Nova didn't generally eat or drink anything. I'd had to consume those chips and coffee myself yesterday. "So, how'd the date go?" I smirked.

"It was _not _a bloody date!" retorted Nova, flushing. "It was a..._social outing_, that's all, and it was _really _boring. Thanks for asking, anyhow." Without another word, he retreated into his favourite place of late: the couch. "Oi! Pass me that sandwich, would you?" he asked, turning on the telly. With a hidden smile, I handed the requested food item to him while he leaned back luxuriously and started channel-surfing. "Nope...nope...nah...no...nope...nup...Nada...nah- uh...Abso-frootlooping-lutely not!" he grunted, repeatedly pushing the button on the remote as he skipped through the news, the weather, several reality TV shows, a cooking show, a horror film, some stupid slice-of-life thing, and then finally settled on watching _The Goodies_.

"_You_ sure have interesting taste," I commented, sitting down beside him. He didn't reply, and as the sound blared from the speakers, I started thinking again about what I was supposed to make of my situation. Should I move? No, I had nowhere to move to, and whoever was after me would surely find me through the army. Should I go in secret? Yeah, like deserting would _really _help the already deteriorating status quo. As I thought morosely about these and other issues, Tim Brooke-Taylor's voice broke into my thoughts, buzzing around my head like an irritating insect...

"_...not looking at your body, I am NOT looking at your body—YES I AM! Ha ha ha—_Moby Dick! _'THAR SHE BLOWS, CAPTAIN AHAB!'..." _

For a minute, I couldn't work out why this was sticking out in my mind like this...and then it clicked. "That's _it!_" I exclaimed, startling Nova, who then fell off the couch and landed on a switch, turning on a lamp which hung right above my head.

"What's it?" grumbled Nova, picking himself up.

"EUREKA!" I yelled, jumping up off the couch so fast that my head collided with the overhanging lamp. "Ouch!" I added, stopping for a minute to massage my head and studiously smooth my hair back into place, before bolting off into the hallway and leaving an exceedingly puzzled Nova behind.

I darted over to the small, ornate coffee table that stood directly outside my front door. I'd put it there when I'd first moved in (for reasons even _I _have yet to fathom), and it had sat there ever since. Quickly shoving aside the pile of outdated phone books, magazines full of women's clothing, note-to-selfs, to-do lists and other unneeded clutter that so often haunts coffee tables, sideboards and other surfaces, I finally found what I was looking for: a small paperback novel. It was bound in green, with the following legend emblazoned on the cover in faded white block letters: _MOBY DICK: THE WHITE WHALE._

Thumbing through the book as quickly as I could without damaging the pages, I saw it, just as I had expected: a note from Rebecca. I pulled it out from in between pages 90 and 91, and scanned its contents carefully. It was short and to the point, and only took me a few seconds to read...but those seconds were long enough for the colour to drain completely from my face, which faded to an ashen grey.

In an almost dreamlike state, I crumpled the note up and stuffed it into my pocket as I stared into space, thinking hard. Then I snapped into action. Heading back into my TV room, where Nova had tired of the affair and gone back to watching his show, I did something I had never in my life done before: I picked up one of my mobile phones (the white one with purple polka-dots), grabbed Nova and ran out of the room, punching in Kate's number as I went. By the time she answered, I was already in the lift and heading down to the lobby.

"Hello? Kate Newbell speaking," Her voice came out, sounding a little puzzled—probably because she naturally didn't recognise my number. "Who's there?"

"Kate, it's me again," I said shortly, pausing as the elevator doors opened and I rushed out. "Meet me in Duchess Park. It's Jack and Mikael. They're in trouble."

* * *

"WHAT?!" cried Kate, putting a hand to her head in disbelief.

"See for yourself," I said soberly, digging the crumpled note out of my pocket and handing it to her.

"_Phyra,_" she read aloud. "_I told you that Kyros knows you have the last Pyrus. What I didn't get to tell you before we were interrupted was that he has taken Jack and Mikael hostage. He sends you, therefore, the following message: bring the Pyrus Bakugan to him, or he will kill two more of your friends. Hoping you'll find this after you've had time to cool down, Rebecca. P.S. I wrote you the CFB note._" Kate passed the piece of paper back to me, but I could see that she wasn't convinced. "How do we know that this isn't a ploy to get you to deliver Nova to Kyros—assuming he _does_ actually want the last Pyrus Bakugan?" she asked doubtfully. "Rebecca's given you no proof that Kyros has Jack and Mikael prisoner. How can we trust this note when we don't know if we can trust the person who wrote it?"

"I called up one of the squadmasters while I was waiting for you to show up," I explained. "They confirmed that Jack and Mikael have been absent for at least three days. Their parents and the authorities have been notified, of course, but there was no ransom note or anything left at the BBS, so of course they don't know where to look, ergo, Jack and Mikael are still missing."

"Fine," Kate said reluctantly. "So, maybe that part is true... But what about the postscript? Nova said ages ago that _he _caused someone to write that note, so how could Rebecca have intentionally written it?"

"I don't know, but how else could she have known about it?" I argued. "We weren't speaking to each other by the time I got it."

"And besides," interjected Nova, "the mind I sent the instructions to was definitely feminine."

"How could you possibly know that, you perverted creep!?" I gasped.

"Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies, mate." he returned smugly.

"Moving on, then..." muttered Kate.

"Look," I said, "it doesn't matter at this point whether or not Rebecca wrote me the note about the Ability card. The question is, are we going to risk Jack's and Mikael's potential death?"

"If you're all about risks," said Kate shrewdly, "then why are you opting to go with a tiny little rescue party? Isn't that more risky than telling the police that Kyros is responsible for the abduction, and pointing them in the direction of his fortress?"

"You know Kyros," I returned seriously. "He wouldn't have left anything to chance. I reckon he'd have the place locked up and guarded more heavily than the Bank of Fat Old Rich People's Money. If his guards saw the police coming—or anyone who wasn't us, for that matter—he'd execute Jack and Mikael without a second thought, like as not. I think it's better for us to go, and make it look like we're going to bargain with him. Then perhaps we can get him off-guard."

"And we're not going to take any hidden back-up?" Kate prompted.

"Come _on_, woman," I snorted. "That's one of the oldest tricks in the book. Kyros would almost certainly have anticipated it already."

"...Alright," sighed Kate. "You've got me on that. Let's go."

"Brilliant," I said. "Oh, look, here's Roximor with the taxi. Come on." We proceeded to jump into the waiting vehicle and strap ourselves in. "Can you take us to Morthanich, on the far end of the Northeast Arm?" I asked the driver.

"Certainly, sir, but it'll take a good three hours or so," she replied.

"No problem, but step on it. We're in a bit of a hurry," I said, before helping myself to a peppermint and a copy of _The Royal Informant_ from one of the pockets next to the seat. Kate got out her mobile and started texting some random, while the two Bakugan sat down and began to play 'Voldemort Eats Cats for Breakfast'.

"Master..." said Nova.

"Kor'zhe..." grinned Rox.

"Hey, Kate, check out this neat article in the _Informant _on the effects of caffeine on female penguins," I said interestedly as I perused the natural studies section. The newspaper rustled softly as I handed it to her.

"Oh, wow," said Kate, scanning the column. "That is just _twisted._"

"Kicked..." said Nova.

"I know, right?" I chortled, resuming reading. "Who're you texting, by the way?"

"Valentine," she replied briefly.

"A..." said Rox.

"_Him _again? What about?" I demanded, dropping the paper and leaning over to look.

"About whether chicken tastes better with or without onion sauce," she said, rolling her eyes as she handed me the phone. "He's catering to a large number of people at a family reunion tonight."

I glanced at the screen and found her statement to be correct: _Ya, but onion sauce is soooo, like, last season – Val. _"How utterly boring," I yawned, handing her back the phone.

"Rabid..." said Rox.

"Ape's..." giggled Nova.

"Speak for yourself," said Kate. "I mean, the _Informant_ has got to be about the most unpopular paper around these days."

"That's why I like it so much." I grinned.

"ARSE!" roared Roximor, causing both Bakugan to crack up and come crashing to the floor, tears of mirth streaming from their eyes as they howled with half-hysterical laughter. After that, things settled down a bit. I started to sing the (very repetitive) song about going to Bonnie Doon. After a few verses, the two Bakugan joined in...until Kate and the driver both told us all to shut up. That was the moment I learned that female taxi drivers can have _very colourful_ vocabularies.

A few hours later, we reached our destination. I handed over what felt like half of my savings to the driver, then the four of us made our way to the outskirts of Morthanich (which was only a small town) and started walking through the desolate foothills of the Outer Rim. Up ahead were the mountains where I'd been kidnapped by Kyros' men so long ago. I tried not to think about that, but the recollection _would _keep coming back. _It was here, _I reminisced, _that my life took that fatal turn for the worse. It was my coming to this place that began the episode which led to the death of a friend..._

* * *

"Well," I said darkly, "_this _sure brings back some memories." We were now halfway up the foremost of the mountains, on a jutting ledge that was fairly level on top, staring at the bleached skeleton of a ball-lightning beast.

"You know, I didn't even think those things _had _bones," mused Kate.

Before I could make a reply, Nova suddenly gave an agonised cry and fell from my shoulder to the ground, gasping. "Nova!" I said in alarm, dropping to one knee and picking him up. "Nova, what is it?"

"Argh! The pain—it—burns!" he cried through gritted teeth.

"Is he having another stroke?" asked Kate worriedly, crouching down beside me. "You said this had happened before. What did you do last time?"

"I, uh..." I stammered, overcome with fright at seeing Nova affected so. "I think I—I didn't do anything. It passed after a minute or so—" Nova gave another yell of pain, and started thrashing around on my palm.

"Are you sure he'll be alright?" Roximor pressed, hovering over to investigate.

"How can I be sure!?" I shouted, reflexively clenching my fingers around Nova as I whirled to face my friends. "Of _course_ I'm not sure, but what can I _do?!_" I stared at them, quivering with anxiety, and slowly relaxed my hold on the still-groaning Nova. "_What can I do?_" I repeated. "This is out of my hands, and you're only making it worse. Just...you two go on, and we'll catch up if Nova gets better."

"_When _Nova gets better," corrected Kate, touching me briefly on the shoulder. "We'll see you soon, okay?" Roximor nodded in silent agreement, then hopped into Kate's waiting hand. The two of them started walking again, looking for the hidden telepoint that would take us to Kyros' hideout. I, meanwhile, kept an eye on Nova, wishing I could do something to alleviate his pain.

As I sat there, it suddenly struck me just how odd this entire situation must have looked to a random bystander: an eighteen-year-old boy crouched low on a mountainside in the forsaken wasteland that formed the Outer Rim, concernedly examining a tiny creature no more than around three centimetres high—little more than a talking toy to the uneducated—which was screaming and writhing in excruciating agony. It probably looked somewhat silly, if not downright disturbing. Next I got to wondering what sort of unknown force could have put such a strange thought into my head. Before I could think around in circles long enough to give myself a headache, Nova suddenly heaved a great, shuddering sigh, and fell still, his tiny arms and legs going limp.

"Nova, Nova, can you hear me?" I questioned, prodding him gently. He didn't move. "NOVA!" I yelled. "NOVA—NOVAAKII, SPEAK TO ME!" No response. "Oh, Fate, no," I murmured aloud, turning my face to the sky, which had fallen into a clear, cold twilight. "It can't end like this. It can't..."

"Please, stop." said Nova suddenly, sitting up. "You know I can't stand errant sentimentality all over the place."

"Nova! You're alive!" I cried happily, shifting emotions almost instantaneously and attempting to give him a big hug, which was made slightly awkward by his size. "So, um...what the hell just happened?"

"You may recollect," said Nova solemnly, "that I once told you that my health isn't the best at the moment...since the War."

"Yes, I remember," I said. "You described it as being _precarious_."

"Precarious, perilous, unstable, touch-and-go, uneasy, parlous, whatever you like to call it," he said airily, seeming not to give two hoots for the fact that he obviously wasn't in tip-top condition.

"Quit showing off, O Master Lexicographer." I said drily, before adding in normal tones, "So, because of your precarious-perilous-unstable-touch-and-go-uneasy-p arlous constitution, you decided to randomly have a heart-attack or what have you?"

"Well, the amount of physical exertion I've been employing of late might have had something to do with it." said Nova reasonably.

"_Physical exertion_ being a cryptonym for _trotting to and fro from the TV room to the kitchen twenty-four seven_?" I chuckled, feeling more than a little relieved now Nova seemed better.

"No," returned Nova severely. "You know perfectly well that I mean all that rotten business with the Hitman and the like."

"Sorry," I said, slightly abashed.

"Yes. Well. We should probably get on and find Kate and Roximor." he said, picking himself up off my hand and sitting on my shoulder again.

"Okay, but don't have any more strokes, please." I said affably. "I don't want to have to deal with that right now, and neither do you, I'm guessing."

"Corre— Hey, is that a giraffe?" he inquired suddenly, turning to stare hard at a nearby boulder, which did in fact look something like a giraffe.

"Um, no comment." I said, not caring to tarry any further. "Let's go."

* * *

Nova and I soon caught up with Kate and Roximor, to find that they had located the telepoint: a small grey square set into the rocky ground, which gave off a very faint blue glow. "Well," Nova said slowly, as we stood hesitantly around the portal, "we could be stepping into a whole new world of danger...but we've got to go in. Jack's and Mikael's lives could be at stake.

"Obviously," I said drily. "So...anyone got a plan?" There was a moment's silence as everyone stared at me. "What?" I demanded in an injured tone. "You can't expect _me _to think of everything, can you?"

"You know, Phyra..." sighed Kate. "You are absolutely unbelievable. You're a brilliant Brawler, I'll give you that, but outside the Bakugan Field, you can be a right obtuse cretin sometimes. Pardon my vernacular..."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that, so, anyway, we'll just, er, blunder in and optimistically reason that nothing can go wrong, shall we?" I said brightly.

"Well, that kind of thing generally works out in stories, so we might as well give it a try." said Kate, face-palming. She and I strapped our V2 BakuPods on, and then the four of us somehow managed to squeeze onto the pad. We were instantaneously surrounded by soft blue particle waves which enveloped us completely, obscuring the view of the mountainside and the faint outline of the Central Octagon and Northern, Northeast and Eastern Arms.

Everything went dull greyish-blue for a minute, and then the particle waves shattered, allowing us to see our new location: a wide, dimly-lit atrium with a low ceiling and intricately tiled floor. This floor depicted a hideous, black, five-headed dragon, which I didn't recognise as being any Bakugan or other creature I'd ever heard of.

There were three identical doors set into the walls—one on the left, one on the right, and one directly in front of us. There was nothing behind us save for a pile of rubbish that looked, unsurprisingly, out of place in this otherwise eerie setting. Apart from us, the place was completely deserted. "Right, which way, then?" I asked.

"Perhaps we should spread out and search all three doors?" suggested Kate.

"Absolutely not." I said firmly. "What about straight ahead?"

"As you like it," she said, shrugging.

"You weren't trying to make a vague reference to, I dunno, a theoretical production or something, were you?" I asked shrewdly, as we passed through the door.

"Could've been..." she said, with a small smile. "Not that it's anything to get excited over, mark you." We then ceased our otiose chatter for a moment, and stopped to look at the area we'd entered. It was a narrow corridor, with no doors whatsoever in it, but with a number of ludicrously tiny windows in all kinds of obscure places, including in the floor and ceiling.

"Reminds me of the kind of preposterous twaddle modern architects are always coming up with, actually," I said, feeling depressed at the mere mention of the subject. Kate agreed wordlessly. We retreated back through the door, then decided to take the door to the right. We now found ourselves inside a colossal freezer, stuffed full of frozen meat.

"Ugh, I'm _not _staying in here," sniffed Nova, backing out the way he'd come. "It's dangerous for my body temperature to get too low."

"But there's another door at the opposite end," I objected. "It might be the way we need to go."

"I'll check it out," said Kate, elbowing what looked like an entire frozen cow out of the way. "If there's anything helpful on the other side of the door, you two can follow me—make a mad dash if you have to." She proceeded to do just that, barrelling through the room and shoving piles of sausages and bacon strips out of her path as she went.

"Wow, she is one _crazy_ woman," I said, half-admiringly.

"Hate to break this to you, bro, but you suck at compliments." grinned Nova, who was still hovering just outside of the freezer, in the atrium.

"The Sacred Writings in the Temple of the Rune recommend making nice comments on the lady's hair or eyes, my young friend." advised Roximor, nudging me. "Or else just use the fabled seven words that will make a woman love you."

"You, sir, are highly disturbing. Kindly remove yourself from my nether regions." I said, disgusted.

"What? Oh, sorry." he muttered, moving away a couple of metres.

"Uh, Phyra?" called Kate. "There's nothing beyond here except for a safe full of iced doughnuts."

"Well, wouldn't that blow a hole in your nightie?" I answered disinterestedly. "We'll try the _left_ door, then." The three of us exited the freezer, and moved gratefully into the warmer atmosphere of the atrium.

"I told you that place was no good." said Nova in a self-satisfied tone.

"You said nothing of the kind!" I retorted umbrageously.

"Guys, guys. Calm down," Kate said hastily. "Let's just hurry up and get this over with. We approached the remaining door the way you might approach a diseased rice pudding, or someone with a face like a diseased rice pudding, or a building made out of diseased rice pudding, or...well, you get the picture.

Once inside, there was no doubt that _this _was the place. It was a huge, round room, made entirely of dark grey stone, with a roof so high you couldn't see it in the thick, cold darkness—assuming one believes in such queer phenomena as _thick, cold darkness_, of course.

There was a raised circular slab in the middle of this room, like a short, wide platform. On top of that slab, a rickety wooden chair sat quite ostentatiously, as though the builder of the joint had overreached the limitations of their budget and had had to make do with this piece of junk, except that they didn't care. Perched on the arm of the chair was a small black bat, for no perceptible reason. Around the walls were sickly yellow torches, not really giving off any light, but merely adding to the eerie ambiance of the place. There was an _evil _feel about the very _air _we breathed...

Alright, enough abusing my creative license, and on to what happened next. As the four of us stood there, looking around, a bright green forcefield suddenly sliced its way across the room, cutting narrowly through our group so that Kate and Roximor were stuck on the one side of it, near the door we'd just come through, while Nova and I were trapped on the inside. Kate experimentally shot at it, but the laser achieved nothing except to carom off the forcefield's surface and rebound into a corner, sending a haphazard chandelier crashing to the ground. No sooner had the noise died down when a familiar voice rang out coldly from a hidden doorway behind the platform. It reverberated throughout the room, its words dripping with malice or some other nasty thing. Pus, perhaps. "Ah, Vyander. How utterly charming to see you again." No kidding, that's a word-for-word quote.

Before I could quite fully process the stupidity of the one-liner I'd been tossed, the owner of the voice came into view. He stepped delicately onto the platform, sidling around the chair and coming to a halt so that he faced us, his icy blue eyes fixing on mine without the slightest trace of warmth or sincerity. _It looks as though our paths have crossed once more, _I thought numbly, clutching Nova in a tight grip, _for better or worse._


	26. Chapter Twenty-Five: Dragons of Fire

**Chapter Twenty-Five – Dragons of Fire and Darkness**

"Well, Kyros," I said levelly, "long time, no see." Kyros had grown into a man since I'd last seen him, but he certainly hadn't changed much, other than getting a little taller. His face was clean-shaven, his demeanour menacing as always. His hair was slightly longer, but that was only noticeable to hair fanatics like me.

"Indeed," he replied softly, taking a step forward so that he was standing at the very edge of the platform, "and I see you have voluntarily entered my _palladium_, as I like to refer to it. Not to mention you've smashed my very costly chandelier. Am I, then, to take it that you received my message?"

"Yes, we did." I said through gritted teeth, trying to hold my own against the brutal onslaught of painful recollections that the sight of Kyros brought to mind. At that point, Rebecca entered the room by the same means as Kyros. Kate and I glanced sharply at her, but she said nothing, paling slightly. Kyros just ignored her. "So, where are Jack and Mikael, then?" I asked loudly, darting a quick _coup d'oeil _at the area around us, covertly scanning the room for potential threats or other useful information.

"All in good time, Vyander," said Kyros silkily, minutely inspecting his fingernails and polishing them on his shirt ("Mate, that looks nowhere near as cool as you think it does," muttered Kate, but he didn't hear her). "First, hand over your Pyrus Bakugan."

"No one's handing over anything until we've made sure that Jack and Mikael are here, and will be released." I said firmly, trying to buy myself some time to figure out a plan of some kind.

Kyros sighed melodramatically, then flinched as the bat suddenly gave a shriek and took to the air, flapping past his face. "Stupid thing," he growled, shaking his fist after it before turning back to us and regaining his composure. "Very well, I speculate that there's no harm in at least showing you the whereabouts of said hostages—"

"Look, would you kindly come off your high horse and speak on the same level as the rest of us?" I demanded irritably. "I mean, why do evil villains get to speak _so _sophisticatedly, while the protagonists are always stuck with the usual crappy teenage drivel? It gets on my nerves no end, and moreover—"

"_Alright_,Mouth Almighty." interrupted Kyros. "You quit ranting, and I'll quit talking like a cliché evil snob. Deal?"

"Deal." I said, satisfied.

Kyros nodded to himself, then pressed a concealed button that was set into the smooth stone surface of the platform, behind the chair. A trapdoor appeared underneath said chair, pulling the ancient piece of furniture down into a dark, black hole. There came presently a harsh sound of splintering wood. "Damn, wrong button." Kyros murmured to himself, pushing another, identical button right beside the first.

This time, the creak of a pulley could be heard, and a huge metal hook descended to a point in mid-air, a few metres above our heads. This hook was attached to a bulky chain, which ran went up higher and higher until you couldn't make it out among the shadowy eaves. Presumably, this was where the pulley was located. Two figures were bound to the hook, hanging motionless from the ceiling. Both looked like they were unconscious. Squinting in the dim light, I could just make out the figures' faces, and they were indeed Mikael and Jack.

"There are your mates, Vyander," sneered Kyros, stepping lightly off the platform and moving closer to me. "Though some mate _you _turned out to be, gallivanting off in another dimension and leaving them to fend for themselves, the poor, dependant little weaklings."

"Nonprofessional remark," I retorted, trying to keep my cool.

"Suit yourself," smirked Kyros. "However, I have an appointment at nine, so we should really attempt to get this going. Give me the Pyrus Bakugan, or else these two will fall into my Pit of Death," He pressed another, more _prima facie_ button on the button then started beeping and glowing in a most unsettling manner.

"_WARNING. SELF-DESTRUCT MODE ACTIVATED." _said the usual stereotypical computerised female voice over a loudspeaker. _"SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE BEGINS IN ONE MINUTE, TWENTY SECONDS, AND COUNTING..." _Before the rest of us could move, Kyros swore and whammed the button viciously with the truncheon he still carried. The aforementioned button stopped flashing, and the usual stereotypical computerised female voice shut up.

"Sorry," said Kyros, breathing hard. "I've been making some renovations, and all this new machinery takes some getting used to, and—why the hell am I telling you this anyway? Right. As I was _saying..._" He paused, and pressed another button that was positioned next to the self-destruct button. There was an ominous rumbling this time, and the platform started sinking into the ground. It got lower and lower until it was actually retracting into the floor, so that a large indentation was left. It stopped when it had gone about three metres in. Then, out of the still-open trapdoor gushed a geyser of hot red liquid, filling the pit to the almost-full point after a few minutes.

"As I was saying," repeated Kyros, "give me the Pyrus Bakugan, or else I will terminate the hostages immediately by the simple means of dropping them into this pit of boiling tomato sauce!"

"You're talking stupidly again," I reminded him, "and I'm sorry, but I thought you said _tomato sauce_."

"Whoops," said Kyros, before adding defensively, "I did, and what's wrong with tomato sauce? I couldn't afford lava, cos I blew all my money on the rest of the refurbishments. Anyhow, tomato sauce is still indisputably effective. Observe." He pulled from his pocket a live halibut and casually tossed it into the pit. There was a loud sizzling noise, and the halibut fried to a crisp before dissolving, leaving only a few floating fish bones.

"Alright," I said guardedly, "I believe you—but I'd just like to say that on the whole, and factoring in the cliché sinister ponce-talk, the usual stereotypical computerised female voice and the conventional Pit of Death, I have now come to the conclusion that you are a spectacularly unimaginative person."

"Just shut up and give me the Bakugan, and maybe I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Kyros snapped, losing patience.

"Wait," I said, still stalling. "First tell me what's so important about Nova that you've been looking for him all this time."

"Yeah, I think I have a right to know random facts about myself," added Nova, piping up for the first time.

Kyros gave a nasty grin and took out a small remote, his finger hovering above the button that would, beyond any doubt, send Mikael and Jack to their deaths. "My masters, the Sektarii, need it." he said simply. "That is all you need know. Now, enough talking. You have three seconds to give me the Bakugan. Three...two..."

Now, while Kyros had been talking, I'd quickly formed an idea of how to salvage the situation. I had then muttered my plan to Nova, who'd nodded slowly from his seat on my palm. Now, as Kyros counted down to one, I began to walk forward slowly, holding Nova closed in my hand. "Phyra, what are you _doing?!_" Kate hissed in alarm, almost touching the forcefield in her eagerness to assist in bringing the situation around to a more favourable position.

"_Trust me."_ I mouthed back, before facing Kyros again. We were now only a couple of feet apart. I stretched my arm forward, and held Nova out on the palm of my right hand...but when Kyros reached out to take him, I darted my hand back and shot out my empty left, catching hold of Kyros by the wrist. I then gave a great heave, stuck out my leg, and sent him sprawling to the ground. I tucked Nova into my pocket, and primed my blaster.

Aiming the barrel directly at Kyros' head, I took a cautious step towards him, and then said in my best I'm-really-badass-so-don't-mess-with-me voice, "Enough of this foolishness, Kyros. Release Jack and Mikael or I'll put a laser bolt through your head." I said this bravely, I hoped, but in truth, I didn't feel brave at all. The only emotion I was feeling at that moment was dread, and a slight curiosity as to whether I or Kyros was the one more scared of the other at this point. I suspected it was me—especially since all Kyros did was laugh derisively.

"Courageous words indeed," he said scornfully, "but when it comes right down to it, Vyander, you're too much the coward to kill anyone. Why else would you have left me alive so long, when you had a weapon to the ready all this time?"

"I hate you," I snarled, "but I'll not kill you unless you force my hand. Which do you value more, your life, or your loyalty to those filth you serve?"

"You're not going to shoot me, Vyander," grinned Kyros, "because the minute your finger touches the trigger switch, I will press this button and kill your friends. In your own words, which do _you _value more, the lives of the hostages, or your Bakugan?"

It was rather a difficult standstill we'd come to, and this pause couldn't last forever. My hand shook visibly on the blaster trigger, and I came to the realisation that I couldn't shoot Kyros. Not if it meant losing Mikael and Jack as well. Slowly, I lowered my gun, half-closing my eyes in defeat. I opened them again when Kyros gave a slightly demented snigger and clambered to his feet. "What did I tell you, Vyander?" he sneered. "You're nothing but a demoralised poltroon and a sore loser. Now, for the last time, _give me the Pyrus Bakugan, _or Rebecca here will see to it that you _die._"

He pulled a lever that was attached to the sole of his boot (I kid you not), and an overhanging cannon emerged from a heretofore concealed panel in the wall, training itself on me and Nova. Kyros smiled eerily, then turned expectantly to Rebecca, who had been standing there quietly all this time. She quailed under his gaze, and shuffled miserably towards a control switchboard that was next to the secret door she and Kyros had come out of. "One move from Rebecca," called Kyros, "and the cannon fires. So, either you give me the Bakugan, or you _and _the captives die! MWAHAHAHAHAHA—" Kyros broke off mid-insane-laugh, as a fit of coughing overtook him.

"Phyra, just do it," said Nova quietly. "I don't want to be the cause of more death. Please."

"But," I wavered, "he might kill you, and I don't know what I'd do if _two_ of my guardians died. It was bad enough that Siege—"

"Siege was a good fighter, I'm certain," Nova interrupted, "but everyone dies sooner or later, and you need to learn to accept it. Also, to tell you the truth...when I said my health was precarious-perilous-unstable-touch-and-go-uneasy-p arlous...well, to be honest, I really don't think I've got very long a wait until I go, you know."

I stared at him numbly, not listening as Kyros grew angrier still, and gave a frustrated scream. "That's it!" he bellowed. "This has gone on for long enough! Rebecca, fire the cannon!" My head jerked around to where Rebecca stood, one trembling hand on the switchboard... I looked at her, and our eyes met.

"_No."_ It was a mere whisper, and yet it resonated throughout the chamber as though she had shouted it.

"I...I _beg _your pardon?" gaped Kyros, his left eyelid twitching slightly as he stared at her with overt shock and rage.

"I won't do it." said Rebecca, more steadily, stepping away from the switchboard. "You've been pulling my strings for long enough, Kyros, and I'll not take it from you any more." She glared at him, then came over to me. I still didn't wholly trust to her sincerity, but my doubts were growing smaller by the minute. I even managed a tiny smile as I turned from her to Kyros again.

"Let her dad go, Kyros." I said dangerously, dropping the smile again. "Or I'll come back here with a squadron of the king's men and _smash your backside_, as well as stick a—"

"Oh, there's no point in trying to threaten me on that account, Vyander," chuckled Kyros, recovering his equanimity. "You see, unfortunately, I can't release her father."

"Why not?" I demanded.

"See for yourself," shrugged Kyros, pulling a transmitter out of his pocket. "Bring in our guest," he said into the microphone. There was a moment of silence, then footsteps could be heard. After a moment, who should come into the room, but Nicholas! At first, I didn't know what to think, until I saw what he was dragging.

"DAD!" Rebecca screamed, horrified. I didn't say anything. I couldn't move, for I was rooted to the floor in revulsion. Nicholas was holding a corpse.

Rebecca gave a soft moan and slid to the floor, not taking her eyes off the limp, bloody mass that had until recently been her father. "Why, Kyros?" I asked softly.

Kyros looked at me queerly. "What did you say?" he questioned.

"Why are you doing this?" I burst out. "Why are you working for the Sektarii? Why did you kill Bec's dad? Why did you kill Rianna and Benjamin!?"

There was a tense pause, and then Kyros gave a wicked—and slightly disbelieving—laugh. "Oh, those aren't the only people I've killed." he said in a low, hoarse voice which didn't seem to match up with his usual one at all. I looked at him wildly, almost maniacally, wondering what in the Eight Arms he meant. He gazed back, quite unruffled, and then took several steps forward so that his face was only a foot away from mine. "You want the answer to your questions, Vyander?" he whispered. "Alright. I'll show you." He moved back again and raised his arms up above his head, as though he were calling on something from the heavens...

There was a harsh screeching and clattering, like a dish smashing on a tile floor, or a glass window shattering. Kyros' body was suddenly enveloped in a dark blue haze which turned first purple, then black...and then he was growing, and—and changing. There came a rending of material as his clothes tore to shreds and fell off. His body was glowing, morphing, shrinking, changing, expanding and distorting all at once...

An extra pair of forearms emerged from his elbows. A long, thin, whip-like tail grew out of his rear. Four horns appeared out the back of his head. His eyes, once pale blue, were now a dark red colour, and without pupil or iris. Two extra sets of legs grew from his hips, and his fingers and toes elongated into sharp, curved claws... In short, he had now turned into something we all knew and hated without question: a Sektarus.

"You..." Nicholas stammered, backing away. "You're a...a..."

"_Exactly, Nicholasss..." _hissed the new Kyros, who towered above the rest of us present by about three feet. _"Now you sssee my true coloursss. Long before I met any of you pathetic ssswine, I wasss a Sssektarusss in disssguissse. I am Kyrosss no longer, and hereafter you shall know me by my real name: Kyroah'rhasss, Ssson of the Chief Sssektarusss."_

Nicholas, Rebecca and Kate were all shocked as could be, and in the case of the former two, had now retreated enough to put a safe distance between themselves and Kyroah'rhas. I, however, was paying only minimal attention to the situation. In fact, I had closed my eyes in concentration as something the Hitman had said to Nova all those weeks ago made its way into my thoughts:

"_...as my master hath destroyed thy master's forebears, so shall I destroy thee..."_

It felt like those words were bouncing up and down in my head, rebounding off the walls of my skull. My eyes snapped open suddenly, and I fixed on Kyroah'rhas with a completely emotionless gaze. "You were one of the band who attacked Novernford, weren't you," I said quietly, making it a statement. "You murdered my parents."

Kyroah'rhas turned to me, his red eyes glittering with malicious spite._"Ssso." _he rasped. _"You've caught on at lassst."_

"What cause did you have to kill all these people?" I spat, feeling anger rise up in me again. "So you were a Sektarus. That's no excuse to take the lives of innocent civilians."

Kyroah'rhas blinked an eye at me before responding. _"My disssguissse wasss vital to my misssion, Vyander," _he said, forked tongue flicking out and touching his lower lip briefly. _"It was necesssary to eliminate thossse who discovered my true identity."_

"And my parents?" I said hotly. "You killed them years ago, before your mission was put into place. Why was that?"

Kyroah'rhas merely grinned at that. _"Here now, Vyander," _he said mockingly. _"I cannot have you knowing _all _my sssecretsss, can I? Sssuppossse we turn back to the matter at hand. You are unwilling to give me the Pyrusss Bakugan, and ssso it ssseemsss I will have to take it from you myssself." _Without further warning, he lunged at me. I had no time to do anything other than put an arm in front of my face as four sets of claws rushed towards me. I braced myself for the impact...but it never came.

There was a shriek of pain, and the next thing I knew, Kyroah'rhas had spun out of control and crashed heavily against the wall...and Rebecca was lying on the floor at my feet, blood pouring from a great, jagged wound running down her face. _She put herself between Kyroah'rhas and me, even though his attack might have killed her, _I thought numbly, helping her up. _She saved me..._

Kyroah'rhas had now righted himself, and was no longer smiling. As Rebecca began to staunch the blood dripping down her cheek with her sleeve, Mikael stirred slightly. It seemed that he had by this time regained consciousness, and was now looking around dazedly. His head turned momentarily to the right, and I saw that there was a large bruise on the left side of his face. "What in the Sector..." he began, then stopped, and looked around at the scene below with wide eyes. "Phyra? What are you—"

"Never mind that now," I called. "Just hang in there, and we'll get you out of this place soon enough." Mikael nodded and fell quiet. To my slight concern, Jack hadn't moved or said anything. His head was lowered so that his eyes were covered by his tousled mop of hair. I might have thought that he was still out of it, but something told me that he was just as conscious as Mikael was. All I could see of his expression was his mouth, which was little more than a thin, straight line.

Now, however, was not the time to wonder about what this meant. Nicholas suddenly darted into the passage he had come out of. Seconds later, the forcefield cutting Kate off from the rest of us faded away, allowing her to advance to my side. Rebecca seemed to have recovered slightly by this time, though a thin, sluggish trail of scarlet was still tricking slowly onto her shoulder. Nicholas then re-emerged from the passageway and ran over to join us. "Give it up, Kyroah'rhas," I called. "There are four of us, and only one of you. You can't possibly fight all us all."

"_Want to bet?" _sneered Kyroah'rhas. _"You might outnumber me, but I am ssstill more powerful."_

"How do I know that's not a bluff?" I returned. "If we need to, we can summon our Bakugan to fight with us using our field generators. That makes at least six of us, if not more." Kyroah'rhas said nothing. "I have an idea," I pursued. "How about a Bakugan battle? I challenge you to a one-on-one match to settle this. If I win, you let us all go. If you win...I'll give Nova to you. What do you say?"

Kyroah'rhas digested this for a moment, then slowly started grinning again. _"Alright," _said he, picking up a clip of Bakugan and a case of cards. _"A battle it isss, then." _I fought to keep a shiver from running down my spine at hearing the confident tone in his voice. _Maybe this won't be as easy as I suspected..._ I thought, sliding a Gate into my BakuPod.

"Field—Open!" I yelled.

"_Field—Open!" _growled Kyroah'rhas. The glittering Field surrounded us as usual, blocking out all sight and sound of the others, who'd been caught off-guard by the new developments, and hadn't had time to bring out their own Gate Cards. From here on in, it was just me and Kyroah'rhas. It was time for the real battle to begin.

"Gate Card—Set!" I said, shooting my card forward through the air to sit in front of Kyroah'rhas. He threw over one of his own, and the battlefield was ready to go. "Gate Card—Set!" I cried again, launching a second Gate next to my first. "Now, Enhancer—Deploy! Rise, Pyrus Alpha Turret!"

The fiery red pyramid ascended to a towering height on my first Gate. _"What form of trickery isss thisss?" _Kyroah'rhas wanted to know.

"Just a little gadget to _enhance_ the game," I half-punned, managing to make my answer come off as nonchalant. "Bakugan Brawl!" I added. "Stand, Darkus Electro Cybertallion!" The small marble sprang into Bakugan form on Kyroah'rhas's card, and my jet-black robot appeared, electric generators whirring furiously.

"_Bakugan Brawl! Ssstand, Darkusss Grim Reaper!" _Kyroah'rhas returned, flicking a Darkus sphere over to join Cybertallion. The Power Levels stood at 690 for Cybertallion, and 540 for Reaper. _"Gate Card—Open!"_ Kyroah'rhas roared. _"Double Shadow Ssswap! Thisss Command Card ssswitchesss the Power Levelsss of the battling Bakugan. If all Bakugan on the card are Darkusss, there isss a transssfer of 150G-Power." _Now the Power Levels were at 840 for Reaper, and 390 for Cybertallion.

"Come, Microgan, Darkus Panferus!" I retaliated. "Engage weapon mode, and Ability—Activate! Black Hole!"

"_More of your cheap tricksss, Vyander?" _hissed Kyroah'rhas. _"You really _are_ a coward, aren't you?"_ I just ignored this horribly biased accusation, and watched as Panferus's closed form rushed onto the Gate. He burst into activated form and bounded over to Cybertallion, locking his body around the giant machine's wrist. There was a total increase of 330 G-Power, and then Black Hole kicked in, taking 300 off Kyroah'rhas's Power Level.

Cybertallion gave a mechanised roar and liberally peppered Reaper with a fusillade of laser blasts. Reaper was then forced into ball form, and bounced over the ground, landing at the base of one of Kyroah'rhas's many feet. "Gate Card—Set! Bakugan Brawl!" I called. "Stand, Darkus Platinum Centipoid!" A large centipede scuttled across the surface of my third Gate Card, the bright flash of the plates on its back contrasting with its dark underside. It had 550G-Power. "Ability—Activate! Draw!" I finished, inserting the Ability into the loading slot.

One of the Bakugan in Kyroah'rhas's clip glowed a dark purple before flying over to meet Centipoid. It was then revealed to be Darkus Rocket Laserman, who shot up into the air, jets of dark fire spurting from his rocket pack. The Power Levels were now tied. "Gate Card—Open!" I yelled. "Gravity Plus! All flying Bakugan are sent to the ground, losing 200G-Power. All non-flying Bakugan receive 200G-Power!" As Laserman's jets died down, sending him to the floor with a loud _crash_, Centipoid gave a shrill shriek of whichever emotion bugs might feel under similar circumstances and rushed forward, pincers clicking dangerously.

"_Ability—Activate!" _growled Kyroah'rhas. _"Gate Warp! I replace your Gate with one of my own!" _My card was smashed into several fragments, while a new one appeared in its place. _"Character Card—Open!" _grinned Kyroah'rhas. _"Lassserman!" _Laserman's G-Power doubled suddenly, and the Power Levels shifted to 550 for me, and 1100 for Kyroah'rhas.

"Come, Microgan, Pyrus Phasorak!" I called, summoning the dark red bat to Centipoid's side. "Supportive Ability plus Micro Ability—Activate! Alpha Enhancement Fire, plus Phasor Plus!" There was a massive power gain as Phasorak's 210Gs combined with Centipoid's 550Gs. Then the Abilities factored in, Alpha Enhancement Fire and Phasor Plus adding 300 and 200G-Power respectively to Phasorak.

"_Not good enough, Vyander!" _returned Kyroah'rhas. _"Fusssion Ability—Activate! Even Down! Thisss card reducesss the combatantsss on the Gate Card to one Bakugan each!" _As the Fusion Ability in his upper-left hand flashed purple, there was an explosion and Phasorak was removed from the battle, landing in a smoking heap at my feet. Irritatingly enough, this meant that I lost all the G-Power my two previous Abilities had given me, and so Laserman was able to vanquish Centipoid with a harsh blast of fire from his jets.

It was now Kyroah'rhas's turn. _"Gate Card—Ssset!" _he said with a leer. _"Bakugan Brawl! Ssstand, Darkusss Rocket Lassserman!" _Laserman then appeared again on the new Gate Card.

"Bakugan Brawl!" I shouted. "Stand, Darkus Electro Cybertallion!" Cybertallion materialised on Kyroah'rhas's Gate, where he faced Laserman silently, purple eyes gleaming. According to the BakuPod, the Power Levels were at 690 for me, and 550 for Cybertallion.

"_Gate Card—Open!" _responded Kyroah'rhas. _"Duck and Win!"_

"Not so fast!" I retorted. "Ability—Activate! Dark Slide!" Slowly and soundlessly, Kyroah'rhas's Duck and Win Gate switched places with that of one of my Gates—the card that didn't have my Enhancer on it. "Now, Gate Card—Open!" I continued, raising a hand. "Surging Strength! Plus, Fusion Ability—Activate! Double Eclipse! Surging Strength adds 400G-Power to the stronger Bakugan, then Double Eclipse doubles my G-Power advantage!"

Cybertallion's metal joints screeched, glowing red-hot as he gained a huge amount of power, his Power Level rising to 1630. He lurched forward with a roar, and laid into Laserman with almost barbaric zeal. _"Ability—Activate!" _Kyroah'rhas countered hastily. _"Chaosss Shutdown! Remember thisss one, Vyander? It negatesss the effectsss of all cardsss played ssso far in thisss battle, and preventsss any further cardsss from taking effect."_

My Dark Slide, Double Eclipse and Surging Strength cards were cancelled. Rocket Laserman, Duck and Win now giving him the advantage again, flew down and blasted Cybertallion into pieces. Luckily, these pieces reformed themselves into a ball again, but I had still lost the third round. "Looks like I'm down to you, Nova," I murmured. "You can do it. I know you can."

"Believe that, Phyra." he replied. "I'm ready."

I checked Alpha Turret's status on my BakuPod, and saw that it was charged to forty-five percent. I decided that would be enough. "Enhancer—Activate!" I yelled. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Pyrus Assassin Dragonoid!" Alpha Turret withdrew its satellites, and then I launched Nova onto the same Gate to join it. He rose up in a flurry of fire and shadows, eyes blazing and wings beating.

"_Ssso," _said Kyroah'rhas, with just a hint of awe, _"the lassst of the mighty Pyrusss Bakugan revealsss himssself at lassst. Now all there isss left to do isss to defeat him."_

"Easier said than done, Kyroah'rhas," I called sharply, "because if my BakuPod shows right, my total Power Level now equals 1820. What have you got to offer me that can possibly beat such a vast amount?"

"_Thisss." _smirked Kyroah'rhas. _"Bakugan Brawl! Ssstand, Darkusss..." _The rest of his command was lost in a high-pitched _zing_, as a dark sphere shot over to land in front of Nova and Kyroah'rhas, rising up into Bakugan form with a roar. A Hydranoid was revealed, hissing and spitting like the Furies, his tail lashing back and forth like the restless tide. Two dragons now faced each other on the Gate, one of fire, and one of darkness. And the Power Level was in my favour, for this Hydranoid only had 600G-Power.

"What—what happened to Skyress?" I asked, dumbfounded by this new development.

"_Oh, she isss ssstill around," _said Kyroah'rhas off-handedly, _"but you sssee, I thought it would be sssomewhat more appropriate to make my capture with another captive...essspecially sssince thisss hossstage isss, shall we sssay, rather apt for thisss particular job."_

"You sound very sure of yourself." I spat. "So just who is this _hostage_, then?"

Before Kyroah'rhas could even start to give an answer, the Hydranoid gave a menacing grin, and I instantly recognised him. _Ah,_ I thought, as the image of several missing teeth flashed through my head repeatedly. _That's where the leader of the Netheros clan got to...but why? _It didn't look like Kyroah'rhas was going to elaborate, though, and I didn't have any time to work it out for myself before Hydranoid, his eyes glazed and faraway, surged forward and sank his teeth into Nova's shoulder. Nova gave a tight bellow of pain and sank to his knees, fending Hydranoid off with his blades.

To my dismay, however, Nova seemed unable to get up again. I checked my BakuPod and saw that his Power Level was continually sinking at a rate of 20G-Power every couple of seconds. "What's this racket, Kyroah'rhas?" I asked angrily. "What did that Hydranoid do to Nova?"

"_Come now, Vyander," _sniggered Kyroah'rhas. _"Don't pretend you've never heard of an innate ability before. Hydranoid'sss poisssonousss fangsss paralyssse hisss victimsss, rendering them unable to move, and draining their power."_

I snarled a curse at him without even knowing what it was, and tried to clear my head so I could come up with a plan. Meanwhile, having got Nova out of the way, Hydranoid pelted forward and began to fire dark energy balls from his maw, targeting the now-vulnerable Alpha Turret. That gave me a starting point for my next set of moves. "Double Supportive Ability—Activate!" I roared. "Charge Increase, plus Wall of Flames!"

I slotted the two cards into the holder and activated them. Charge Increase, with the enhancing effect, shot Alpha Turret up to the maximum one hundred percent charge level. Next, a giant flaming barrier appeared around Alpha Turret, blocking out Hydranoid's attacks. I then went on to put the next stage of my plan into action. "Come, Microgan, Pyrus Tarantulak and Darkus Panferus!" I called, shooting my two remaining Microgan out onto the Gate. They burst into activated form, spider and panther, and began to battle Hydranoid in Nova's stead. "Double Micro Ability—Activate!" I yelled. "Spider Net, plus Wildcat Fury!"

Tarantulak shot a net of lightning at Hydranoid, which entrapped the great lizard in its coils. It lowered Kyroah'rhas's Power Level by 300 when you factored in Alpha Turret, which was still at a hundred percent. Then Panferus bolted over and ripped into Hydranoid's flanks with his sharp claws, gaining a total of 390G-Power. Hydranoid screamed with pain and rage, while Nova finally recovered from the poison affecting his body and rose up into the air again, raining fire down on his opponent.

"Give it up, Kyroah'rhas!" I shouted, encouraged. "My Power Level outstrips yours by more than 1500. There's no way you can possibly win!" Time seemed at once to stand still as Kyroah'rhas digested my comment. The Bakugan and Microgan stopped fighting and looked at him, as though desperate to hear his response...which was to give a low, echoing laugh.

"_Don't be ssso sure of yourssself, Vyander," _he chuckled. _"I have beaten you once before with a final ace, and I can do it again. Ability—Activate! Ultimate Transssfer X! Thisss Ability card takesss your entire Power Level and addsss it to Hydranoid'sss. If I win thisss battle, all enemy Bakugan and other sssupporting piecesss are captured, and enlisssted into my ssservice!"_

I gasped in shock as one by one, Alpha Turret, Phasorak and Tarantulak shook slightly and then collapsed into a tangled, chaotic heap of metal, before reverting to ball form. Nova stayed on his feet a little longer, and then he turned back to look at me, and I saw clearly the fear and defeat in his eyes... "I—I'm sorry...Phyra." he whispered, just before his body glowed red, and he too turned back into a ball, which rolled off the Gate while Hydranoid reared his great head back and roared in triumph.

The Field around us shattered, and as I stood there insensibly, watching my Bakugan, Microgan and Enhancer be dragged over the floor to meet Kyroah'rhas's waiting hands, I felt as though a thunderclap had sounded inside my head, and lightning had flashed down from the heavens and struck me. And then all was over.


	27. Chapter Twenty-Six: The Magnitude

**Chapter Twenty-Six – The Magnitude of My Own Losses**

"_Ha!" _gloated Kyroah'rhas, while the last remaining light from the Field faded. _"Get a load of that, Vyander. Dessspite your bessst effortsss, I have at lassst obtained what I ssseek!" _He held Nova tightly in a grip of iron, sneering at me for a moment as he savoured his victory. To my everlasting shame, I couldn't do anything but stand there with my eyes screwed shut, not wanting to face the reality—that I had failed a second time, and lost another guardian to Kyroah'rhas.

"Phyra?" Kate called worriedly, running over towards me. "What happened? Did you—you didn't—did you—?"

"_Yesss, foolsss!"_ Kyroah'rhas cackled, backing away from all of us, my Bakugan still firm in his grasp. _"I beat him, and the lassst Pyrusss Bakugan isss mine! Farewell—uh, I mean, not ssso well!" _With that, he vanished down the passage, the sound of his crazed laughter still rebounding off the walls several seconds after we'd seen the last of his shadowy form. None of us had any time to say or do anything more, however, when there was a beeping, and the Pit of Death disappeared. The hook that Jack and Mikael were tied to was dropped suddenly from its chain, and Nicholas and Rebecca hurried to untie our friends.

No one in the room knew what was going on until Kyroah'rhas's voice, now sounding as though he'd resumed his Staryan disguise, came on via a hidden loudspeaker somewhere. "Yes, yes, a very touching reunion," he said, in such tones that even the most imaginationally-challenged person could envision the look of malicious smugness he was surely wearing at that moment. "However, now that I've finally done with that irksome hissing accent of mine, I just thought I'd mention that in about five seconds, the cannon currently aimed at you all will fire. Don't go away."

Another bout of insane laughter ensued, and then faded off, leaving us staring at the cannon above our heads, which was even now visibly charging up for a massive blast of energy. "What are we going to do?" Kate asked desperately, trying to pull me out of the way.

"I don't—" I began.

The cannon fired.

There was an ear-splitting _BOOM_, and as if in slow motion, we saw an enormous beam of white light headed towards us, and then... "GO!" roared Nicholas, pushing Rebecca and Jack out of the way, while Kate and I dived for the floor as fast as we could. I hit the ground, turned to see Nicholas shoving his brother out of the path of the laser— _"NO!" _Mikael's agonised cry was all but muffled in the sound of a huge explosion that occurred as the light hit the wall behind us. It enveloped Nicholas, who hadn't had time to move out of the way himself, as it struck the stone bricks...

Light and noise filled the room, and then faded. The five of us and Roximor were left staring at the hole in the wall...and the charred skeleton directly in front of us.

"Nicholas," Mikael repeated, eyes filling with tears as he turned away, balling his hands into fists. "He didn't have to—"

Kate, still looking a bit shell-shocked, put a hand on his wrist. "Come on, Mikael," she said quietly. "You're right, but he _did _do what he did, and if we don't leave now, then any one of us could still die, and his sacrifice will have been in vain."

"There's truth in that," Mikael admitted after a moment, wiping his eyes. "It's best we get out of here right now."

"Are Harpus, Dread Ripper and Preyas with us?" wondered Roximor, as we wearily trudged out the hole in the door.

"No," answered Rebecca. "Preyas is in my room, and the other two are still in one of the cells."

"Can you take us there?" asked Kate.

"Yes," she said. "It's not far. Follow me." We walked down the hall in silence, taking a left turn here, a right there, and then heading up a flight of stairs. At length, we came upon a plain old wooden door, through which Rebecca informed us was where she and Rianna had boarded during their visits to the fortress. Another, identical door on an opposite wall led to the room where Benjamin and Nicholas had stayed. Rebecca was in and out of the first door in a flash, emerging again with Preyas and a small shoulder bag. As well as these, she had someone else... "It's Rianna's Tigrerra," she explained breathlessly. "I couldn't just leave her there." Tigrerra looked very sorry for herself indeed—as did we all, I imagined—and didn't utter a word.

"Just a minute," said Mikael, "if Tigrerra was in your room, is it possible that there's anyone in Nicholas and Benjamin's old room?"

"Good point," said Rebecca, striding over to take a look. After another thirty seconds or so, she came out again. "I found Bolt Ravenoid," she said, handing Nicholas's guardian to Mikael, "but I didn't see Benjamin's Guard Cycloid anywhere."

"What of all your non-guardian Bakugan?" asked Roximor curiously.

"We were only borrowing them from the BBS facilities." she replied.

"Oh," said Roximor. We then went down the stairs again, took several more turns—one of them leading us past a queer-looking vase collection—and then down another, larger set of stairs, until we found ourselves in a wide, square room. It was devoid of any inhabitants or furnishings, but had several doors set into each of the walls.

Rebecca went over to one of these doors, which had a small printed card stuck to its front. It said _B3 – C12 – HD_. She entered, and presently came out again, with Harpus and Dread Ripper held carefully in her palm. She handed them to their respective Brawlers, and then went back upstairs. The rest of us trooped along behind her, all thinking our own dark thoughts, and not knowing what we would face before we were able to escape.

* * *

"There aren't any more prisoners in here that we could rescue, are there?" Kate questioned, glancing around at the other doors.

"No," answered Rebecca. "It was my turn for warden duty during the past week. All the other cells are empty." As we left the cell block, I noticed something strange: not only was Jack not speaking, but neither were Dread Ripper and Harpus. A feeling of dull fearfulness began to lurk over our group, as the silence grew more and more unbearable. I wondered just how Rebecca was managing to take the news about her father so well. _Perhaps, deep down, she knew it all along... _I thought to myself, studying her composure as we went. _Perhaps there was only the tiniest hope of his still being alive—and now that hope is gone, leaving merely the emptiness, the calm certainty of despair that had reigned in her for so long. _

The magnitude of my own losses swept over me suddenly, leaving a horrible feeling of loneliness inside. I felt Rebecca take my hand suddenly, though I knew not why. Perhaps she meant to convey that she knew what I was going through, as she was in the midst of it herself. I was vaguely aware that none of the others looked much better than either of us. Kate and Roximor were perhaps a little better off than the rest, but that didn't make them cheerful by a long chalk.

After about five more minutes of walking, a loud _BANG _sounded nearby, causing us to almost jump out of our skins. There were muffled shouts and someone barking orders. "Damn it! They must have realised we survived." Kate exclaimed, as we broke into a mad dash. "Rebecca—how far to the exit?"

"There's a telepoint just around this next corner," panted Rebecca, pointing to an arch in the side of the long corridor we were running through. As we skidded to a halt and looked through this arch, we found ourselves face to face with about seven Sektarii.

For a moment, no one said anything, then... "Hullo," Roximor smiled after an awkward pause. "Have any of you fine gentlemen got some jynnan tonnyx I could borrow?"

The Sektarii exchanged glances briefly. Then the foremost of them looked back at Roximor and said, _"No. Sssorry."_

"Oh, well...never mind, then." Roximor said with another, more pathetic smile. The Sektarus nodded curtly, then abruptly motioned to his fellows, whereupon the lot of them turned and walked back down the way they'd come, leaving us staring after them. They hadn't gotten further than about ten metres, however, when one of the smaller ones murmured something to the leader. There was a dull rumble of whispered conversation, then a sharp exclamation, followed by, _"WELL, WHY DIDN'T YOU SSSAY SSSOMETHING BEFORE, YOU SSSTUPID DOLT? GET THEM, BOYSSS!" _They all whipped around again and rushed at us, hissing and brandishing long weapons that looked like taser guns of some sort.

"RUN!" I yelled, snapping suddenly into action. While Rebecca, Mikael and Jack made a break for it, Kate and I drew out our blasters and peppered the nearest Sektarii with a liberal spray of our deadly projectiles, felling at least three before we likewise turned and ran.

The thunder of running feet followed us as we tore through the next several hallways, and then we passed through a pair of doors, which Rebecca sealed behind us with the touch of a button on the wall. That wouldn't stop our pursuers for long, but it would hopefully buy us some time. Up another flight of stairs, through another set of doors, two left turns, a right, another left, and then we had reached another telepoint. We crammed ourselves onto the platform, and warped out of there like space mermaids. A moment or two later, we found ourselves in an unfamiliar part of the Outer Rim. According to Rebecca, we were in the foothills to the north of the BBS main base. Another half-hour or so of walking, and we were outside the doors to the Office Block.

Squadmaster Xaen, who was on desk duty, looked mildly surprised to see us, to say the least. "Well!" he exclaimed, standing up. "What have we here? Sergeants Vyander and Newbell, along with missing ACs Archer and Norwalters, and some other random blonde? How fascinating!"

"It's Fletcher, sir." Rebecca said quietly.

"Oh, of course," murmured Xaen. "Graduated last year, I remember. So, how did you come by these two?" He indicated Mikael, who was by this time looking tearful again, and Jack, who was standing wordlessly in the rear, avoiding our gazes. Kate briefly explained that they had been abducted by the Sektarii, and had been held hostage in exchange for one of our soldiers—which was true, since Nova was considered a soldier just as much as I was. She didn't bother bringing in the complicated personal levels of the incident, though. None of us really wanted to relive any of what had happened back at Kyroah'rhas's _palladium_.

After that, we dropped Jack and Mikael off at the sick bay, and then went our homeward ways. Rebecca didn't have anywhere to stay, but she refused our offers to put her up at one of our flats, saying that she didn't want to inconvenience us. However, Kate and I both detected her hidden meaning: _I don't want to make things more uncomfortable between us._

So we took a taxi back to Reim, and let her out at the Borderline Hotel, a place renowned for having plenty of patrons who stayed there on business or military matters. It was well after midnight by the time I entered my block of flats, waving briefly to Kate as she was driven down to her place, a couple of blocks away. The lobby was almost deserted except for a pair of shady-looking men in tuxedos, who invariably sat there seven evenings a week from nine at night until one in the morning, playing poker. I didn't know their names, but I privately called them "Slim and Slick".

I travelled up the elevator, and walked slowly down the hall to my door. I could hear Mr Wilson's deep, husky voice—the words muffled, but still audible—addressing Corey-Sue as I entered... "Yes, yes—ooh, that's it...yeah, keep going, keep going—WAHAHAHAHAHA!" It was punctuated by Corey-Sue's pitiable mewing. Most people might think this sounded rather sinister, but it actually happened thrice a week, and once, when a friend from my military unit had looked in curiously, they had seen nothing more or less than Mr Wilson teaching his cat to swim in the bathtub, which for some reason stood in the middle of the living room. This story had spread like wildfire among the younger officers, and to this day, that bathtub is legendary, and the phrase _the bath in the living room_ has become a metaphor for anyone showing signs of potential insanity.

I was used to these noises now, and so I paid them no attention as I slammed the door behind me, tugged off my shoes (and pitched them at the television for reasons I have yet to discover), padded into my room and sat down on my bed, unmoving. I buried my face in my hands as I waited for the tears that never came.


	28. Chapter Twenty-Seven: Ever-Shining Sun

**Chapter Twenty-Seven – The Ever-Shining Sun**

One Week Later...

The sky was grey, but I didn't notice as I walked slowly down the street. Ever since I'd lost Nova, it had felt as though the whole world had suddenly turned to grey, no colour, no happiness left. Only a bleak emptiness, like that which is found in an old, dusty theatre with no play, no audience.

I didn't feel the same way I had when Kyroah'rhas killed Siege. That had taken me completely by surprise, and my entire system had, it seemed, shut down in a kind of self-defence until Nova's arrival had given me something else to open up to. But this time...well, I guess a tiny part of me had always known I couldn't keep Nova forever. He had said it himself: he wasn't going to last much longer.

So I didn't turn into a mindless machine again—rather, I simply went about my normal everyday life, and just avoided entirely talking about what had happened back at Kyroah'rhas's hideout. I showed no signs of strong emotion when among company, no tears, but no laughter either. When I was on my own, though, I couldn't help but dwell on the events of that ill-fated day. I had read somewhere that time heals most wounds, and the rest are "hidden behind the door of forgetting", but I couldn't. I couldn't just up and forget everything Kyroah'rhas had done to me. He had killed my parents, helped wipe out everyone else in Novernford, murdered Siege in front of my eyes, and taken Nova away, no doubt to kill _him_, too.

I couldn't understand it, though. It was as though Kyroah'rhas had a grudge against me or something. To be fair, we'd not been on the best of terms back at the BBS, but that didn't explain the matter by a long shot. I could only suppose Fate was playing a tricky game with the two of us...but what?

I wasn't the only one who had suffered at Kyroah'rhas's hands, of course. There was Rebecca, who had been cruelly used as a pawn, and then had her father killed anyway. There was Mikael, who had been savagely beaten, and then witnessed his brother's vaporisation. And there were Jack, Harpus and Dread Ripper. Mikael didn't know what had happened to them, but they were all still silent as death, and Jack had acquired a nasty scar over one eye.

It was to Kate's flat that I was currently headed. She and Rebecca would be waiting there for me, and then the three of us were going to the BBS Centre to visit our friends and try to come up with a solution to Jack's and the Bakugan's condition. Kate and I only had a week of leave left, which didn't give us very much time to figure out what should be done, so we figured the sooner we got down to the task at hand, the better.

I continued walking along the street, my mind full of grim thoughts such as these, only half-paying attention to where I was going. After perhaps twenty minutes of walking, I realised that I had come slightly too far and hit upon a dead-end street, surrounded by red brick walls. A couple of lonely buskers stood on a corner, one playing a set of bagpipes, the other strumming away at a violin that lacked a bow. The result was interesting, to say the least. I noticed that one of them sported an arm band on which was drawn (somewhat crudely) the Haos symbol: the five-point star set into a ring. This stood out in my mind for some reason, and switched my train of thought to another track: Haos, Haos Bakugan, Haos Brawlers, Haos style...

Blurred memories of brawls with Haos Brawlers suddenly started popping into my head. Siege beating Dread Ripper. Nova defeating Harpus. Me activating an Ability. Jack throwing a Haos Bakugan. Mikael setting a Gate... And then another set of images: shining golden hills...a marble cave...flowing robes...

Suddenly, I had an idea. I span around abruptly, and began pelting back down the road, a queer expression appearing on my face.

* * *

"So, Phyra." said Kate. "You said you had a plan. What is it, then?" I had met with the girls, and we had taxied over to the BBS Centre, where Squadmaster Gyro had escorted us over to the sick bay. Mikael had met up with us there, and the four of us, along with Roximor, Preyas, Harpus and Dread Ripper, were now standing around Jack's bed where he lay stiffly, staring blankly up at the ceiling. Blade Tigrerra and Bolt Ravenoid were with us as well, for Rebecca had taken Tigrerra on as a part of her team, and poor Ravenoid wouldn't stop following Mikael around like a lost puppy, unsure of what to do without her "master". Both of these Bakugan still talked occasionally, but neither had regained any of their old fire.

"Well, Phyra?" pressed Roximor. "What's the plan?"

I was jolted out of my brooding, and immediately slid into action. "The plan is," I said firmly, looking around at everybody except Jack, "that we go to Haos Space."

* * *

The others had readily agreed after I'd explained my plan to them, and we had driven up to the lab at military headquarters where, according to Captain Hackett (whom I had called up on Kate's mobile, as I wasn't carrying any of mine), the inter-dimensional teleporter system had been returned. "So you see," I had said, "we can go into the marble cave that the Riachastested me, Kate and the Bakugan in, and see if we can speak to Lars Lion. I bet if there's anyone who will know how to help a Haos Bakugan, it'll be the Legendary Soldier of Haos—and with her soul-probing thing, maybe she'll be able to see inside Jack, and find out what's wrong with him."

"A laudable idea indeed, young master Vyander," Roximor had replied, with a blink of his large, owlish eyes. "I must remember to submit your name to the Great Runelord for consideration to be forwarded to the rank and position of Outstanding Scholar of—"

"Yeah, okay, Rox." Kate had said hastily. "That'll do. Just one thing, Phyra." She'd turned to me, going serious. "How do you know this will work?" she'd asked.

"I don't," I'd said solemnly, "but we've got to try it. For Jack. For Dread Ripper and Harpus. We've got to."

* * *

With the absence of all the Bakugan who had once resided there, Haos Space looked cold and empty despite the ever-shining sun above, which beamed down on us and made the hills sparkle and the cities glitter. Of course we were the only ones there, for the Riachaswere all still back in Starsector. However, it was still a magical sort of experience, especially for Rebecca and Mikael, who hadn't been there before.

"It's so pretty," Rebecca breathed, looking out at the clear, shining sky. Mikael murmured an agreement. Even Dread Ripper and Harpus gave a funny sort of twitch as they seemed to recognise their old home. Jack, however, still said nothing.

I looked around, trying to remember the way to the marble cavern. Eventually I found the right track, with some help from Roximor and his Rune of Scrabulus. An odd silence hung over our

group while we walked through the deserted city roads. It was like...like we were _expecting _something. That was it. We were expecting something to happen. Anything. A band of robbers to jump out and waylay us, maybe. Or a squadron of Sektarii to spring out of the ground and attack us. Or a bowl of petunias to come crashing down into the street, saying, "Oh no, not again." Or a megalomaniac to run naked through the streets, warning us to watch out for man-eating llamas. Well, maybe not that last one.

Still, we walked on, and nothing happened. No robbers appeared, nor Sektarii, nor petunias, nor naked megalomaniacs. We reached the cave soon enough, and with the help of Roximor and Preyas (for the Bakugan were all back in their true forms, of course) we rolled away the stone that obstructed the entrance. Shafts of sunlight burst inwards, delicately—almost playfully—fingering the darkness within, and quenching those shadows that lingered about the entrance. The podium inside and the very back of the cavern remained dark and foreboding, however. We entered hesitantly, and I wondered how we would call Lars Lion to come and speak with us.

For a moment, I cursed myself for not bringing Ahryall with us, for as head of the Riachas, I was sure she would have been able to help us. Then I remembered with a jolt that she was dead: she had been killed by the Hitman. A hot wave of anger swept over me suddenly, and I clenched my fists, losing track of our purpose for being here. _Kyroah'rhas sent the Hitman to us. _I thought, gritting my teeth. _That's another string of deaths he's responsible for—_

"Phyra!" Kate's voice broke me out of my thoughts. "Phyra, how are we going to do this?" she repeated urgently, gripping my shoulder.

I stared at her for a moment, not knowing what she was talking about. "Oh, right," I then said distractedly, remembering. "Well...maybe a Haos Bakugan could...no, I suppose that won't work. All our Haos Bakugan are incapacitated at the moment."

"No they're not," said Rebecca, smiling suddenly. Kate and I looked at her incredulously, thinking she must have lost her wits. Rebecca just smiled wider and turned to gesture at her guardian, who was standing behind her patiently. "Angelo Preyas Alpha," she said. "He's part Haos now, remember?"

"Hey...you're right!" I said, understanding. "Well, it's worth a try. Go on, then, Preyas. Can you call Lars Lion?"

"BAP!" squealed Preyas, saluting. He then walked over to the podium, examined it, and shot a beam of bright white light at it from his eyes. At first, nothing happened. Then there was a rending sound as with our previous visit and a dark portal appeared once more, out of it stepping the wise, ancient Haos Soldier I had come to know so well.

"Good day," she said, "to Brawlers and Bakugan alike. To what do I owe this surprising visit, pleasure though it is?"

"It's a long story," I said, stepping forward, "but—"

"Never mind," interrupted Lars Lion. "I can see it all in your eyes. Rest assured that I will do what I can to fix your problem. In the meantime, how did your battle against the Sektarii end?"

"We won it," Kate volunteered. "Just barely, though. If it weren't for all the generous help we received from the Bakugan, I suppose our army wouldn't nearly have been powerful enough to resist the Sektarii's onslaught."

"Yes," I added, "and even then, we only won because of the Doublenode Ritual."

"It worked, then?" said Lars Lion, seeming only a shade surprised.

"It did," I said, "and I must pass on Nova's thanks to you for letting him know of his heritage."

"It was nothing." Lars Lion acknowledged, giving me a look which showed she knew at least partly of the circumstances behind Nova's absence from my side, before changing the subject. "Apollonir tells me he met you in Darkus Space, after a fashion."

"He certainly did," chuckled Roximor. "I would never have known that Apollonir was such a one for disguises like that."

"You'd be surprised." Lars Lion said cryptically, to more chortling on Rox's part. Kate laughed too, and I _almost _cracked a smile. Rebecca and Mikael just glanced at each other in bewilderment, however, and Lars Lion turned serious again, remembering why we had come. "Right," she went on, moving towards Jack. "Now I must see into this one's heart, and find out what evil is plaguing him."

When Jack didn't lift his gaze from the ground, Lars Lion bent down so that her face was opposite his and took his chin gently, tilting his head so that his dim blue eyes met her lustrous golden ones. Her gaze intensified momentarily, and her eyes turned cyan. She stared blankly at him for a moment...and then a small smile spread slowly over her face...and then it widened...and then there was a sound like the ringing of crystal chimes in the wind as she broke into a peal of laughter, soft at first, and then gradually louder and louder until she was practically screaming with mirth. The rest of us glanced at each other in confusion, not knowing what could be funny about the situation. When we looked quizzically at Lars Lion, however, she did not articulate. She instead calmed down and leaned over towards Jack's ear, whereupon she murmured something that only he could hear.

There was a tense moment of silence, during which most of us stared awkwardly at random inanimate objects...and then Jack's eyes closed slowly, only to snap back open and flick around the room. "I—I—what?" he stuttered, swaying slightly where he stood. "What happened?"

"Your captor must have said something absolutely _awful_ for you to have gone into a coma like that, little one," said Lars Lion, sounding more than a little amused.

Jack gave a shaky smile and muttered his thanks, before realising just who he was talking to, and who he was with. He then added, at normal volume, "I—you're Lars Lion, right? Dread Ripper told me about you—and Phyra? Kate? What are you two—and why is Rebecca here? And how did we get out of Kyros' fortress? And where are we now? And why isn't Dread Ripper speaking to me? And what happened to the cheesecake I was eating? And—"

"Whoa, settle down!" said Kate, raising her hands as though to ward off his questions. "We'll tell you later, but it's a quite a lengthy explanation, and we've got other matters to attend to right now."

"O-okay," said Jack, breaking into a soppy smile as he looked at her in a creepier-than-normal way.

Lars Lion grinned again, then abruptly turned to the Bakugan. She had a brief word with Bolt Ravenoid, who fluttered her wings dismally, and Tigrerra, who said nothing since she couldn't easily give Lars Lion her old command of "SILENCE!". Then it was Dread Ripper's and Harpus's turn. Lars Lion gave them a once-over and then announced that they had succumbed to a shock-induced coma like Jack had. "These comas were most certainly brought about by physical violence, a blow to the head, perhaps." she said. "However, the good news is, I suspect that they have begun the search for their true names while in this state. I can see these names within, and I believe that if I bring this search to an end, they will hopefully come to."

"Wait," I said. "You're saying that you can reveal their names to them and that will bring them out of these comas?"

"Yes, I think so," said Lars Lion. "At any rate, I can try." Without further preamble, she looked intently at the Bakugan once more. Dread Ripper's claws trembled slightly, and the feathers adorning Harpus's wings ruffled themselves up under her gaze. Then Lars Lion spoke, in a slightly different voice to her normal tone. "Brother and sister," she said. "I, Lars Lion, call you forth from inside yourselves. Return to the living world, for your lifelong search is at an end. Awaken, Haos Cynfael of the Dread Rippers, and Haos Kefira of the Harpii. Awaken and join us!"

As Lars Lion stopped speaking, the two Bakugan started shining, and then there was a rumbling, and the floor of the cave began to crack.

"What's going on?" I yelled, staring wildly at Lars Lion.

"It's Cynfael and Kefira!" Lars Lion shouted over the noise. "They're—they're...evolving!" And she was was right. The marble floor beneath the two Haos Bakugan collapsed, falling in on itself and revealing a hole. A piercing ray of light shot out through this hole's entrance and encircled the Bakugan so that we could just barely make out their silhouettes, which were trembling and...and changing. At last, the harsh, glaring light died down, and our eyes readjusted to the soft, dappled light that replaced it. Next we saw, in the place of Dread Ripper and Harpus, two _new_ Bakugan.

The first of them had three sets of arms. Each of its six hands had five sabre-like claws on it. It had a long, barbed tail, and four metal, insect-like wings.

The second was small but agile, with a dark, smooth body, almost like a black jumpsuit. It had golden armoured plates covering its shoulders, the backs of its hands, its elbows, its knees and its hips. In addition to these, it was further protected at the lower arms and shins by white leather-like boots and gauntlets. White and gold feathered wings sprouted from slits in these latter garments, and from its shoulders.

"We have awoken," said the first, "and now we present ourselves to you, Lars Lion. I am Cynfael, Haos Death Shredder."

"AND AH IS KEFIRA, HAOS LUNAR HARPUS, YO' GROUPIES!" yelled the second, fist-pumping. _She hasn't changed a bit as far as personality goes. _I thought wryly.

Lars Lion smiled as the newly-named Cynfael and Kefira strode over to their respective Brawlers and the chatter of light conversation (interspersed with _lots _more questions) filled the cavern, and the two girls began to explain to the others what they had missed. I didn't bother to listen, of course, since the topic was still a sore one with me. At length, however, Lars Lion's voice cut through the dull roar of voices and addressed Mikael quietly. "Come, child," she said, beckoning.

At seventeen, Mikael was hardly a child, but I suppose when you're as old as Lars Lion would have been, every one of us must have seemed like children. Mikael walked hesitantly over to her, while Jack, the Bakugan and the girls resumed their faineant yakking. I joined in a bit when the conversation turned to other issues, like how old the king _really _was, and whether doughnuts are better than cheesecakes or not. Still, I couldn't help overhearing a snippet of what Mikael and Lars Lion were talking about.

"...and then he just disappeared, and all that was left was this horrible blackened skeleton," Mikael was saying tearfully. "To think that the last time we spoke to each other, we were fighting—"

"But surely," Lars Lion pointed out as Mikael broke off, "surely he must have wanted to make up with you, his own brother. He relinquished his own life to save yours. That is not the action of a bitter man. Perhaps he was trying to show you that he was sorry."

"I'm sorry too." Mikael said to no one in particular, sniffing slightly. After that, however, he seemed a bit happier, as though the analogical great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Lars Lion winked solemnly at Kate and asked, "Found it yet?"

"Er, not quite," said Kate, blushing slightly.

"Don't worry," assured Lars Lion, smiling. "I have a feeling your quest is nearing its end." Kate thanked her, and pretended not to hear when someone asked what they were talking about. As we began to say our goodbyes, in preparation for our departure back to Starsector, I became aware of Lars Lion's eyes boring into the back of my head. I turned courteously to face her while the others proceeded out of the cavern, wondering what she wanted. "I sense you have suffered a great loss, young one." she said gravely.

"You...could say that." I admitted, suddenly unable to meet her eye as I felt her draw closer.

"It is Novaakii." she stated. "He is missing, is he not?" I didn't answer. "I can see the truth in your heart, Phyra. Locking your secrets in the dark won't make them go away." said Lars Lion wisely. "It only makes them grow bigger and more terrible in your mind, until you cannot bear to face up to them any more."

For the first time since Nova had been taken, tears finally started to trickle down my cheeks. "I failed again," I whispered, suddenly overwhelmed by mortification. "First I let Siege down, and now Nova. I don't know how I can ever forgive myself."

It was a moment before Lars Lion spoke again. By this time, we were the only two left in the cave. "It is not your job to assign the blame." she said firmly. "You simply lost a battle. That does not mean that you failed your guardian. It only means that your opponent was stronger than you. I think, if you would only dwell on the matter with a clear head, you would soon see where the fault truly lies."

"Kyroah'rhas." I growled, pushing away the urge to punch the wall.

"No," Lars Lion contradicted, to my surprise. "Not in this case, at least. Kyroah'rhas may have been responsible for the death of Siege, but that was merely out of petty revenge. Think about it. All this time, Kyroah'rhas has been after the last Pyrus. Why?"

"Because," I faltered, seeing where this was going, "because he needed it for his _masters_."

"Exactly," affirmed Lars Lion. "He did not necessarily take Novaakii because he wished it. He took your guardian because he was ordered to, and so the individual who _issued_ those orders is the one responsible for Novaakii's abduction."

"You're right..." I stammered. "So then, that means...the Sektarii are to blame?"

"You might may so," said Lars Lion, before leaning over so that her eyes were mere inches away from mine. "Or," she continued, "you could look at it another way." She stopped suddenly, and withdrew herself to a more comfortable distance. "You and I both suspect that the Sektarii aren't acting of their own accord." she said ominously. "So the question is, who _is _the one behind all this? _Who_ is directing the Sektarii? Who is _really_ the one looking for Novaakii?"


	29. Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Elusive Truth

**Chapter Twenty-Eight – The Elusive Truth**

Two Days Later...

I was sitting on the couch, playing my guitar along to 'Don't Stop Believin'' by Journey, thinking about a steady stream of random topics, ranging from what was going on in the Royal Parliament to whether chocolate sauce would go with bacon strips or not. I was careful not to glance accidentally at the television, as that inevitably brought Nova to mind, and thinking of Nova reminded me of the unanswerable question Lars Lion had posed: _"Who is _really _the one looking for Novaakii?"_

Of course, I had absolutely no clue who the Sektarii could be working for, so I reckoned that if I tried not to let the question into my mind, then at least I would have a bit of mental peace. Just a bit, at any rate. Eventually, my playing was interrupted by the sound of a knocking on the door, and I remembered having invited my friends over for dinner, to catch up a bit after having been separated for the past few years. I had seen Kate, of course, but she hadn't seen anything of Jack and the others, so she would be there as well.

I meandered leisurely over to the entryway while the knocking grew steadily more insistent. Annoying people is so much fun, isn't it? When I finally answered the door, Jack burst in, singing, "I'VE GOT SWEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAT UP MY—"

"Huzzah, you're back to normal." I intervened hastily, face-palming.

"_Normal?"_ chimed in Cynfael, hovering in after Jack. "I beg to differ."

After those two came Mikael, who stared around at the apartment blankly before saying, "Whoa, Phyra. Your internal décor is the most stunning, the most unbelievable, the most wonderful thing I've ever seen since—"

"Enchanting, isn't it?" I agreed, pulling him through.

"NOT AS ENCHANTING AS ME, Y'ALL!" Kefira yelled from Mikael's shoulder. "I'M SO HIP, I HAVE TROUBLE SEEING OVER MY PELVIS!"

"In your dreams," huffed Bolt Ravenoid, who was sitting in Mikael's pocket.

I checked the corridor, but the girls hadn't arrived yet, so I started to show my guests around the flat. "So," I said, casting about for a subject as we stood on the threshold of my bedroom doorway. "Jack. Kyroah'rhas must have said some pretty terrible things to you if it made you go into a coma..."

"Oh, it was absolutely _heartbreaking_, Phyra!" sniffled Jack, turning upset all of a sudden. "He...he...he mocked my comedic talents!"

There was a moment of silence, punctuated only by his exaggerated snivelling. "You're not serious?" I said at last, making a gesture of disbelief.

"I'm dead serious, mate." said he, wiping his eyes. "Horrible of him, wasn't it? But then, he always _was_ horrible, that Kyroah'rhas. I mean, everyone knows my comedic talents are the greatest! But of course a malicious little so and so like him _would _be a critic—"

"But—but how did you get the scar?" I asked faintly.

"That?" said Jack, putting a hand to his eye. "Oh, that was just from a little incident back at the BBS."

"_Incident?"_ I echoed blankly.

"Yeah," said Mikael, sniggering suddenly. "He was sliding down the bannisters on the grand staircase—like you used to do, you know—and he crashed into Master Noth at the bottom. It was ugly in more ways than one."

"Never again..." said Jack fervently, squirming slightly at the memory.

"Indeed," I said drily. "Well, I have an announcement to make—"

"Oh no, not another of _your _announcements," Jack muttered.

"What's wrong with my announcements?" I demanded.

"Well, remember that announcement you made at the BBS, just before you left?" Mikael put in helpfully. "It kinda dented your reputation a little..."

"Rubbish," I said loftily. "_That_ announcement was the most spiffing announcement that ever lived." Before anyone gathered could argue the toss concerning whether or not announcements have lives, another knock sounded at the door. I hastened to answer it this time, as I knew that Kate was bringing chocolate for the occasion, but would probably be less than impressed if I kept her waiting on purpose. I do almost anything for chocolate. Sure enough, when I opened the door, in trooped Kate, Rebecca, Roximor, Preyas and Tigrerra. All were chattering in a strepitous manner save for Tigrerra, who yelled for silence, as usual.

"Well, how have you been?" Jack asked Kate in particular. "Has it really been two years since I saw you last? It feels like twenty."

"She _looks _like it's been twenty." I put in brazenly, unable to help myself even in the face of chocolate.

"Having a go at my age again, are we?" asked Kate, narrowing her eyes. "Very mature of you."

"Oh no, it's _you _who's mature." I smirked. "I'm just young and naïve."

"Hold these for me," said Kate sweetly, handing Jack the chocolate, "while I smite Phyra awe-inspiringly in the face." Jack took them with a grin, and without preamble, Kate strode over and socked me in the nose.

"OUCH!" I complained. "Don't be so hasty, woman!"

Jack just laughed. "Why, there's a wench," he quoted. "Come on and kiss me, Kate."

This did not have the effect he desired.

"ARE YOU CALLING ME A SHREW!?" screeched Kate, looming over him like an angry bear.

"Why so worked up? You'd make a _perfect_ shrew." I pointed out. On the outside it seemed a very pleasant evening all round. But after an enjoyably posh dinner of veal and scallops, my friends left, and all warmth seemed to drain out of my body, leaving me a cold, lifeless shell. I went to bed, but couldn't seem to get to sleep. I thought once again about Nova and the question I couldn't answer, the elusive truth I couldn't seem to reach, and I felt lonelier than ever.

* * *

The next day, I got up a great deal earlier than usual without really knowing why. All I could think of was that something was going to happen. I didn't know what, or whether it would be good or bad, but I felt it coming regardless.

I didn't have anything on, so I dressed without even registering what I was putting on, had a slow, easy breakfast, and then decided to take a stroll if the weather were any good. As I departed from my flat, however, I found my way barred in the hall by Mr Wilson. I almost didn't recognise him, for he had grown a bushy black beard since I'd seen him last. Then I noticed Corey-Sue in his pocket, and realised who it was. "Er, hi, Mr Wilson," I said uneasily. "What do you want?"

"Miaow!" said Corey-Sue, who, having moved with the kind of lightning speed and agility only the most demented of cats possess, was now perched atop Mr Wilson's head.

"Oi was wond'rin'," Mr Wilson muttered hoarsely, "if yeh moight be wontin' a drink or sommit."

"I—" I began.

"Splen'id," he interrupted, taking hold of my arm. "Do c'me in." I didn't protest as he dragged me into his apartment. This was largely because he scared the living daylights out of me, but also partly because I was, I admit, curious as to why he wanted to see me.

His interior was drastic—all mismatched curtains, lampshades and wallpapers, with exotic patterns and wildly clashing colour schemes. This looked even stranger than you'd have expected, for all the windows were boarded up, and the entire flat was candlelit.

Deranged baubles, bead hangings and other ornamentation bedecked the walls and loaded the shelves. There was a framed picture glued to the bright orange ceiling, which depicted a loaf of bread with seven spider-like legs scuttling across the surface of a huge grey eyeball. The fabled bathtub still stood in the living room. So did a television which was upside down for one reason or another, balanced precariously on top of a dog kennel, which was presumptively where Corey-Sue slept.

"Do sit down," rasped Mr Wilson, directing me to a large, overstuffed armchair which had been darned with off-white wool in several places. I sat down nervously and glanced around, noticing the large amount of pink and green stuffed animals lurking about the place, their creepy glass eyes staring straight ahead without expression. Mr Wilson went into his kitchen, which was adjoined to the lounge, and separated only by the bench. "Oice cream for ye, young morster?" he inquired, holding up a carton of ice cream. I accepted, thinking it impolite to decline, and unsure as to how he would react to a refusal. "An' a vodka?" he added, a slight slur to his voice as he scooped large amounts of ice cream into two china bowls.

"Er, yes, thanks." I murmured, first wondering why my collar felt so tight, and then realising I wasn't wearing a collar.

Mr Wilson grunted something opaque and put the bowls of ice cream into his hot pink microwave, punching a few buttons on the panel before reaching up and taking down two plastic sippy cups from his shelf. "Oi hite cleanin' the corpet," he explained briefly, seeing the look on my face. I looked down and saw for the first time that the entire floor was covered completely in a large and colourful assortment of rugs and carpeting, all rather dirty to some degree or other. Mr Wilson soon retrieved the ice cream from the microwave, placed bowls and sippy cups on a tray, and twirled elaborately into the lounge, muttering, "Won...two...throi...foive...damn!"

I took the bowl and cup he offered me without complaint, but secretly wondered just how the combination of melted ice cream and lukewarm vodka would agree with my stomach. Mr Wilson didn't seem bothered by the abnormality of his meal, however, and downed the entire bowl of ice cream in one go, a rather sickening sight, if you ask me. "Ah," he grunted, licking his rather flabby chops with satisfaction, not noticing the large amount of frothy, melted ice cream that had trickled down into his beard. "Nothin' loik freshly mel'ed oice cream ta give yeh tha' sa'isfacshun—an' the bes' port es, no pesky brine freezes."

By this time I was feeling far too nauseated to even speak, let alone try the ice cream for myself, so I merely nodded politely and gave a strained smile as Mr Wilson went on to drink his vodka, smacking his lips loudly in a most nettlesome manner. I spied a potted cactus behind the chair I was sitting in, and furtively tipped my ice cream into the pot while my host wasn't looking. There wasn't any room for the vodka as well, so I slipped the sippy cup into my pocket, not knowing what else to do. By and by, Mr Wilson noticed its absence, and muttered something about pixies.

I sat there, wondering what would happen next, while Mr Wilson took the bowls, tray and remaining cup, and took them up into his bedroom. I stayed put. Before long, there was a sharp yell, and the sound of breaking glass, followed by a feminine screaming in the distance. As to what was happening, I couldn't even begin to imagine. Shortly after that, Mr Wilson came back out of his room with a purposeful air. "Oi've jus' remembered whoi oi wan'ed ta see yeh." he mumbled, thrusting a filthy hand forward. There was something clutched tightly in it.

As I held out my own hand, obfuscated, I couldn't help noticing how long and yellow his fingernails were. Then I felt something smooth and hard being pressed into my hand. Before I could see what it was, Mr Wilson suddenly bellowed at me, ordering me out of his flat. Next, I found myself being chased out the door with several Ming vases following close behind me. As the above-mentioned vases shattered violently in the hall, I didn't stop running until I was safe in my own apartment, with the door locked and bolted behind me. Then and only then did I look down and see what I held: a small grey marble, with dark and white lines etched all over the surface in a complicated pattern.

"A Bakugan?" I murmured aloud, examining the marble. _But this doesn't look like any I've seen before, _I added silently, _and what Attribute is that? I don't see any symbol... _As I mused to myself, the Bakugan twitched suddenly in my hand, startling me so that I involuntarily jumped back half a step and dropped it. The Bakugan rolled over the wooden floorboards for a couple of feet before coming to a halt and opening up into a bird-like shape, almost identical to a Skyress ball form...

"What in the—?" I began.

"Merp." trilled the Bakugan.

"DIXIE!?" I gasped, putting a hand to my head in disbelief.

"Merp merpy merp!" fluted Dixie, as if to say _You recognised me!_

"You're a Bakugan?" I went on. "But—but how? And what are you doing here? What—?" I stopped questioning her after a moment, remembering that her vocabulary was more than partially limited. Dixie, for her part, seemed to be having ideas of her own. She ascended into the air, a couple of feet off the ground. Then, propelling herself forward with little flaps of her curved wings, she began zooming around my apartment, as though looking for something. Unsure of what else to do, I followed her at a slower pace.

Eventually we ended up in my bedroom, where Dixie cast an eye over the place, and then gave a delighted hoot as she spotted my laptop sitting on the desk. The lid was opened, and she flew over and began stamping on the buttons, opening up all kinds of miscellaneous programs.

"Hey—hey! What are you doing?" I cried in alarm. "That's my _computer_ you're mucking around with!" Dixie didn't reply, but continued wildly dancing around on the keyboard, sifting through my files and folders, accidentally opening a chat session with some random named .Dinosaur_Rules58, starting up a game of _Slender_, and clicking an Internet shortcut which allowed her to browse through a ton of Monty Python skits on a video website.

It didn't occur to me to try and stop Dixie. There was a fascinating aura of purpose about her that, to be frank, I found both curious and slightly disconcerting. So I watched as she continued to fiddle with my computer, until at last she found what she was looking for: a word processing program. On the screen was currently an essay I was supposed to be writing on the effects of teleportation on the body for Captain Hackett, but was only about a hundred words long so far. A brisk tap of the keys, and Dixie had opened a new document, on which she began to type:

Apollonir says hello._

"Apollonir?" I burst out, gawking like a fool. "He sent you here?"

Dixie kept typing. Yes - Lars Lion told him about Novaakii, and so he sent me to help you rescue your guardian. More lives than one could be spared if we can free Novaakii from the Sektarii's grasp._

"Mr Wilson wasn't Apollonir in disguise, was he, by any chance?" I asked suspiciously.

No, Mr Wilson is but a vessel. His was the first mind I connected with on my journey here._

"Alright," I said. "So how can you help me? You're just a pigeon—extraordinary, I'm sure, but a pigeon all the same."

I am one of the seven mythic Bakugan Guards, protectors of Inner Space and the two cores. My real name is Elaquaresii. I have come to offer my services to you as your temporary guardian Bakugan._

"Riiight..." I said, not really understanding. "And the other pigeons? Are they Bakugan Guards too?"

Yes, they are five of my brothers and sisters. Alfred is Elirbagii, Spot is Eliruii, Sausage is Elahparii, Paschal is Elinahii, and Pumpkin is Elugarii._

"And the seventh?" I questioned.

Dixie looked kind of depressed as she continued tapping at the keyboard. The seventh, our brother Elahcimii – also called Ferdinand, was lost centuries ago during the War of the Gargonoid, when the rest of us were sent to the Doom Dimension._

"Oh," I said. "I'm sorry...and what sort of, er, _advantage_ will I gain by taking you on as my guardian?"

My powers are unfathomed. Even _I_ have yet to discover their true extent, but I can safely say that you will not be able to recover Novaakii without my help. Kyroah'rhas's masters are powerful. You will need the power of the cores to aid you. I have that power. Will you accept my alliance?_

I smiled slightly as I answered. "Alright, Dix— I mean, Elaquaresii. You've won me over. I accept your help, and thank you."

Dixie made a happy chirping noise. Dixie is fine, but you're welcome. Merp._

I held out my hand, and she flew over towards me. For the first time in over a week, I broke into a wide grin, knowing that I now had a chance to take Nova back from Kyroah'rhas and the Sektarii. This heart-warming little moment was interrupted as the computer beeped and a message from .Dinosaur_Rules58 came onto the screen.

.Dinosaur_Rules58 says: lulz bro tottally rad. Wat r u doin nao, im whatching sesame streat?

I rolled my eyes at this first-grade stupidity, and exited the chat session. "So, Dixie, where can we find Nova?" I asked, suddenly realising what we were missing. "I highly doubt he's still in Kyroah'rhas's _palladium_, or else Kyroah'rhas would have known we might try to stage a rescue attempt."

Dixie hooted softly, flapped over to the keyboard and started typing again. The remnants of the Not-So-Royal Sektarus Army are situated at the core of Starsector._

"The core?" I repeated. "I didn't know Starsector even _had _a core."

You are not alone: most Staryans are unaware of its existence. That is because it was formed only comparatively recently. The core lies at the heart of the Central Octagon, which is not like a mountain, as your race have thought for so long, but more like a volcano with a sealed-off top._

The Octagon was hollowed out in a terrible accident that occurred only a couple of decades ago. After the Hydranoid War had come to an end, and all the Bakugan had returned from Inner Space to their Attribute worlds, a wormhole, as you know, appeared between Starsector and Vestroia, sending hundreds of Bakugan into your world._

These Bakugan were not the only part of Vestroia to be disrupted by the appearance of the rift, however: a portion of the wormhole extended into Inner Space, and began pulling the very cores themselves into it. Before the cores had quite entered the rift opening, however, the Silent Core collided with the Infinity Core, and they reacted explosively, warping the very fabric of space around them as their powers combined and erupted, causing them to vanish without a trace. Meanwhile, the chaotic waves of power their disappearance created caused Inner Space to be shrunken and sent through the rift, where it injected itself into your world – namely inside the Central Octagon._

"So you're saying," I said faintly, "that Inner Space is below us all—below the palace and the City of Reim and—and everything else...and the Sektarii are inside it? That can only spell trouble for the king."

Not just for the king._ corrected Dixie. Vestroia and Starsector have fused together through this chain of events, and without the cores, Vestroia is unstable. Unless something can be done about this, I fear disaster could strike both our worlds..._

"And everything starts with the rift," I mused, "and the evil that created it. None of this ever would have happened if this mysterious evil hadn't caused the space between our dimensions to be ripped. I wish I could know what the evil was, though."

That's out of our hands for the moment. What we need to worry about now is rescuing Novaakii from the Sektarii. The core of Starsector can only be accessed from four points of the Sector, which means we'll have to go through Sektarii territory to get there._

"Well," I said, trying to put a brave face on things, "we would have had to encounter Sektarii at some point during this little undertaking anyway... When will we leave, then?"

As soon as we can._

"Alright," I said grimly, straightening up. "Give me a moment to collect my equipment, and then we'll leave right away. Nova has to be saved."


	30. Chapter Twenty-Nine: Supremacy

**Chapter Twenty-Nine – Supremacy**

It was near midnight. The full moon shone eerily though the thin blanket of clouds that covered the night sky, casting a faint yellow light upon the bleak grey landscape of rugged hills and desolate peaks around me. Few stars could be seen, save for those within the precious, scarce patches of sky showing where the clouds did not meet. Through these tiny gaps, millions of little silver pinpoints were visible, twinkling merrily as though they had a private joke going on between them.

I'd been travelling westward all throughout the day and evening, out of Reim, down the Western Arm, and into the far west sect of the Outer Rim. It had been nearly eleven by the time I'd made my way on foot through the Outer Rim and into the Sector, and now I was cautiously stepping through Sektarii territory, occasionally using one or other of the hole-and-corner tricks I'd been taught during military training to avoid being seen by lone Sektarii scouts.

Rebecca was following along too, but none of the others were with us. I had at first called Kate and the boys to see if they could accompany me as well, but Mikael and Jack both had studying to catch up on, and Kate had been called away on an urgent task for the king, of which I didn't know the details.

So now it was just me, Rebecca and the Bakugan, headed out for one of the four _Core Access Points_, as we'd titled them. As near as Dixie could calculate, these four Access Points were located at the furthest sites in the Sector beyond the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Arms, and since we were closest to the Western Arm, we had decided to go that way.

As I glanced at Rebecca, who was sprinting furtively alongside me, a cloud moved suddenly, throwing a stray beam of moonlight her way. Her face was thrown into sharp relief, so that I could make out every curve and angle that formed its shape. On another day, I might have smiled to myself, as despite all we'd gone through, I still felt, when looking at her, the same way lots of people feel when watching kittens doing cute things. But the light also lit up the wounds.

Most of us were pretty well-worn by this stage of our young lives, and Rebecca was no exception. The entire right side of her face was a mess of faint cuts and scratches from when she had thrown herself in Kyroah'rhas's path, defending me from his attack. I still felt queer whenever I looked at them for too long, not because I found them off-putting, but because of what they signified. And this time wasn't any different. I glanced back ahead and saw that we were headed towards a solitary Sektarus, who was scuttling along the rocky terrain with practised ease. There was a kind of indulgent idleness to its pace, so I took it that this was merely a lover of night-time ambling, as some individuals unavoidably are.

I decided to leave it alone for the moment. We didn't want to attract attention to our passage, as would happen if some other Sektarus should chance upon the body of one of its comrades lying randomly about. I took hold of Rebecca's hand, and we slipped past quietly and carefully. Rebecca was unarmed, but I had found a spare field generator for her, so she would be able to call on Preyas and Tigrerra if she needed to. I had also dropped by the training centre at military HQ a couple of days ago and found her an extra Ventus Bakugan and some cards, just in case.

We walked in silence for a good mile or so and no incidents befell us, good or bad. After a while, though, the thrill of adventure began to pall, and the cold that had been building slowly during the course of the evening now began to really settle into our bones. I wished we could have just teleported straight to the core and got this retrieval mission over and done with.

If Rebecca was feeling as hopeless as I was, she wasn't showing it. In fact, I thought she looked merely as though she were contemplating a light matter, like what would happen if she tried eating mayonnaise and Vegemite together in a sandwich.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked, adopting a playful tone to disguise how irate I really was.

"Well, actually," Rebecca said thoughtfully, "I was wondering what would happen if I tried eating mayonnaise and Vegemite together in a sandwich." At that, I stopped walking and stared at her until she blushed. "I suppose you think I'm weird." she said, without looking at me.

"No," I smiled. "I think I'm psychic."

She rolled her eyes, and we kept walking.

* * *

It was around two in the morning when we finally found what we were looking for: a telepoint, surrounded by walls and flanked by fifteen or so guards, standing smack in the middle of nowhere, as telepoints are apt to be. This was doubtless the Access Point we were looking for.

"Well," I said softly, restraining the desire to wax lyrical as the enormity of the task at hand suddenly loomed up before me, "this will be _challenging_, to say the least—and I have a feeling things will get worse once we penetrate the core."

"Nothing for it but to open fire, then?" inquired Rebecca, as we crouched behind a rock and snatched another look at the Sektarii soldiers before us.

"It would seem that way," I replied, "but I'll set my weapon to stun, just in case that buys us some more time."

"How so?" she asked curiously.

"Once we're in," I said, not entirely with confidence, "these guards will hopefully recover before anyone else comes along and sees what happened. The targets won't remember a thing, and we'll be in the clear. Do you see?"

"Yes, I see." she answered. I nodded to myself, then loaded in an ammunition clip, switched the setting on my blaster, and added a suppressor to the tip of the barrel. Then I looked over the top of the rock and fired a silent spray of stun bolts out at the targets, taking out the nearest five Sektarii. Before any of the others could react, I then took off running towards them, shooting out more projectiles. The Sektarii, taken by surprise, keeled over and crashed to the ground one after the other. By the time I had reached the walls encompassing the telepoint, all opposition had been neutralised.

I beckoned swiftly to Rebecca, checked to make sure Dixie was still sitting securely in my pocket, and then moved over to one of the fallen Sektarii guards. "The activation pad needs a finger scan." I told Rebecca. "Help me get this guard over to the pad so we can put his hand on the scanner."

"Do you think it will be that easy?" she asked worriedly, assisting me in lifting the heavy soldier over to the scan pad. We held our breath as the scanner took in his fingerprints, then... _"Access granted," _sang out another one of those stereotypical computerised female voices. "Wow," said Rebecca, as we unceremoniously pitched the Sektarus into a corner, where he lay somewhat pathetically in a crumpled heap. "I really didn't think that would work."

"Well," I said, grinning with relief, "by my best guess, they probably didn't figure we'd be brave enough—or stupid enough—to come wandering into their territory. Now, let's go." We stepped onto the telepoint platform and flipped the activation switch. The usual blue beam issued from the pad and engulfed us with its light, and I took one last look at the night sky above us. _Here we come, Nova, _I thought. _Just wait for us, and wherever you are, we'll find you._

* * *

"Cheesecakes!" I uttered reverently. "This place sure is amazing." We had warped into the core of Starsector, as I had hoped, without any trouble. After dispatching the few guards standing on duty about the place, we were now on our way up a long corridor carved into the rocky inside of the Central Octagon.

The walls and floor of this corridor weren't rough and jagged like you'd expect a rock face to be, though. Instead they were smooth and cool to the touch, and filled with all colours of the rainbow and several more besides, winding and twisting around each other in a complex opal pattern.

The air wasn't stuffy, but clear and oddly chilly, except you didn't feel cold while standing in it. And then there was the light. Most underground tunnels would be dank and shadowed, or else dimly lit with flickering torches, but not this place. A warm golden light seemed to filter through the passage, as though rays of sunlight were somehow peeking through invisible openings in the Octagon, though it couldn't have been dawn outside, yet.

After we had walked a bit of a distance, we could eventually hear voices issuing from somewhere, presumably the end of the corridor. They grew louder as we progressed, and soon we could make out the hissing, growling dialect of the Sektarii, which told us we were getting closer to their hidden base. After a moment, another, more familiar voice intermingled with those of the Sektarii.

"Let me go, I tell you!" it roared. "What do you think you're going to gain from this, you demons!? Allow me to speak to your leader, or else I'll—"

"That's Nova!" I hissed to Rebecca. "Come on!"

"Wait," she whispered, as I broke into a run. "Shouldn't we be more—"

"No time for that!" I called back, forgetting to talk quietly. "We've got to get to Nova before it's too late!" Without waiting for a reply, I turned and resumed sprinting for the end of the tunnel, priming my gun as I went. I then prepared to activate my field generator function, ready to unleash Dixie as soon as I emerged... And then I was out. I found myself in a large cavern, a lot similar in appearance to the tunnel I'd just come out of, but of course with a lot more room. No less than fifty Sektarii were gathered here, all staring at me, too shocked to move just yet. Nova was nowhere to be seen.

Quickly getting a hold of myself, I flipped the generator switch and a Field bubble appeared, almost reaching from one end of the cave to the other. I took Dixie with one hand and started shooting with the other. The Sektarii regathered their wits suddenly and began to charge, shooting beams of dark fire at me. "NOW, DIXIE!" I bellowed, not ceasing fire as I pitched the pigeon-Bakugan into the fray. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Guard of the Cores, Elaquaresii!"

Dixie burst forth from her ball form into her real form—which wasn't much more impressive than before, since she was still a pigeon, but with one difference. She now had an eerie silver-white glow about her, and a strong, mysterious power seemed to emanate from her mere presence. "MERP MERP MERPPITY MERPA MERPY MERP!" she trilled loudly, sending zigzagging streaks of energy out from under her wings like lightning. Sektarii, when hit, were no match for this pure form of light and were felled in their dozens, melting into dark vapour if touched by it. I, meanwhile, made my contribution by shooting down several more Sektarii soldiers, my lasers leaving sizzling pockmarks on my enemies' tough, exoskeleton-like hides.

Rebecca, having a Field bubble to work with, also helped. She threw down three of her Bakugan and said, "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Ventus Angelo Preyas Alpha, Ventus Battleaxe Tigrerra, and Ventus Gorgonoid!" Three Ventus beasts ascended into Bakugan form and began tearing into the enemy, leaving bloody corpses left, right and centre.

The Sektarii were unprepared, and no match for our combined power. Within the space of five minutes, we were the only living beings left in the cavern. I then went to look for a way to get to Nova, while Rebecca tended to Gorgonoid, who had acquired a nasty scratch on one leg. The rest of us weren't too badly off, though not a member of our small party had come out of our brief battle _completely_ unscathed.

Soon enough, I heard more voices, and was able to use the sounds to find the entrance I was looking for: a steel door set into the rainbow stone. It was bolted and electronically locked, but I got Preyas to scramble the lock's circuits with his powerful lightning attack, and then I used my lasers to melt through the bolt, and we were able to push our way through.

An unusual sight met my eyes when I stepped over the threshold. We were in another cave, but this one was smaller, and circular. There was also already a field generator activated in here. In the centre of this room was a huge metal table, surrounded by nasty-looking machines and devices. My stomach dropped when I saw that lying on the table with closed eyes, bound by steel cables, was Nova. "NOVA!" I yelled, disregarding all the Sektarii who stood guard in the room. "I've found you, Nova!"

Nova's eyes fluttered open, and his head turned awkwardly in my direction. "Phyra?" he murmured. "You came?"

"How could I not?" I said, trying not to cry. "You're my guardian, and more than that, you're my friend. I wasn't going to just give up on you." Nova seemed to be having trouble replying, and I noticed his eyes were glazed over. I took a closer look at him, and saw the needle sticking out of his neck. He'd been sedated.

Turning slowly, I took measure of the number of enemies in the room: seven guards, plus three more Sektarii who, from the look of their poorly-fitting white lab coats, were probably scientists of some description. All had dark flames gathered at their fingertips, ready to shoot on the command of whoever was supposed to be leading them. I glared at them, and spoke one word. "Dixie." I said.

The Sektarii glanced at their leader—one of the scientists—unsure of what to do. During this slight pause, Dixie emerged from behind me with a screech, and released an enormous flash of light from her frail body, burning up all the Sektarii in the room. The danger out of the way for the moment, I turned back to Nova, carefully pulling the tranquilliser needle out of his flesh. Then I blasted the lock on his bonds and helped him up. "Nova, are you okay? What happened?" I pressed. "What's been going on since you were captured? What did they do to you?"

"One—one question at a time," groaned Nova, trying to overcome the drugs coursing through his system. I stood by him as he sat himself more comfortably on the edge of the table and began to tell us about what had befallen him since his abduction. "It's all fairly straightforward as far as the journey itself goes." he said. "Kyroah'rhas put me into a Bakugan clip and exited his _palladium_ by way of a secret telepoint. We then travelled north to a second telepoint which brought us here—"

"The northern Core Access Point," I guessed.

"I suppose," he answered. "Anyway, we came up a passage, and through the cave you just came out of into this one. Kyroah'rhas had some of his associates stand ready with a dart gun, and then before I had realised what was happening, he switched on a field generator and stood me on the ground. I transformed to Bakugan form, of course, only to be immediately shot with several darts that immobilised me. I was dragged onto this table, and then I blacked out. I came to a day or so later, and found myself surrounded by those rotten scientists. They had hooked me up to all these machines, and—and—by Genesis, it was horrible."

"What were they trying to do?" I asked, laying a sympathetic hand on his tail.

"They were—they were trying to extract my key." said Nova, closing his eyes in agony.

"Your key?" I repeated. "You mean the Key to the Cores? But—but why?"

"I don't know," sighed Nova. "Hell, I don't even know what it is, really. All that scanning and analysing, all the DNA samples taken, all those different methods...and they still haven't got it."

"Did you find out who they're working for?" I pressed urgently.

"No," said Nova. "I only saw their leader, the Chief Sektarus. I do know for sure that they're not in this alone, though, because I heard the Chief Sektarus mention something about _Our Ruler, the Supreme Darkness_, or some rubbish like that."

I was about to reply, when a voice came hissing through another doorway. "I hate to break up this charming reunion," it said, "but you rabble really shouldn't be trespassing in our headquarters." We all turned around to face the speaker.

"Is that...?" began Nova, squinting.

"I'd know _his_ hide in a tannery." I said by way of affirmation.

It was Kyroah'rhas, still in his Staryan guise. "Hello again, Vyander," said he, for once not sounding amused as he glanced around at us all with narrowed eyes. "How unpleasant to see you..."

I refused to be daunted by this monster, the slayer of so many of our loved ones. "Again with the retarded one-liners, Kyroah'rhas?" I said, raising an eyebrow. "How about you just accept that you're no good at the evil overlord game and throw yourself out of a fiftieth storey window?"

"I have a better idea, Vyander," spat Kyroah'rhas. "This time I'll kill you myself, and end your petty quest for revenge!"

"You'll have to go through Dixie first." I said defiantly, calling Dixie to my side.

"Phyra, let me help!" urged Nova, starting to get up.

"Not in your condition," I said firmly. "Don't worry, mate, she'll be jake. You just concentrate on recuperating." Nova nodded and sat back down as I approached Kyroah'rhas with Dixie, now reverted to ball form, held in my hand. "What do you say, Kyroah'rhas?" I challenged. "How about we settle this little feud with a rematch?"

Kyroah'rhas glared at me for a moment...and then his face relaxed slightly, and he brought out a Bakugan clip. "So be it." he hissed.

The Field was already opened, so we began our brawl with cries of "Gate Card—Set!", while Rebecca, Nova, and the Ventus Bakugan looked on anxiously.

"Bakugan Brawl!" roared Kyroah'rhas, tossing a small black ball onto his Gate Card, where it transformed into... "Stand, Darkus Platinum Centipoid!" A shining black and silver centipede skittered around on the card.

"Using my own Bakugan against me, are you?" I muttered, clutching Dixie's closed ball form tightly in my hand. "We'll just see about that. Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Guard of the Cores, Elaquaresii!" Dixie fluttered into the air above Centipoid, whirling around the insect's rearing head like a dervish. I knew that Centipoid had a Power Level of 550, but when I looked at my BakuPod, I saw that Dixie had a massive G-Level of _800._

"Alright, Vyander, so that's impressive... "murmured Kyroah'rhas, staring hard at the tiny pigeon. "But not nearly impressive enough. Gate Card—Open! Joker's Wild! This command card allows Darkus Bakugan to win unconditionally!"

"Not just yet, pal," I countered. "Ability—Activate! Supreme Override! This card, a special Infinity Ability, is unique to Elaquaresii. It cancels your Gate's effect, and transfers half your Power Level to mine." My Power Level shot up to 1075 from here, while Kyroah'rhas's dropped to 275.

"The battle doesn't end here, Vyander!" snapped Kyroah'rhas. "Ability—Activate! Ally Pull! This card is unique to all evolutions of Centipoid. It brings another Bakugan from my clip to the battle, and then adds 300G-Power to Centipoid!" Another Bakugan came whizzing over to join the battle, and then turned into Electro Cybertallion. "Come, Microgan!" sneered Kyroah'rhas. "Darkus Panferus, Pyrus Tarantulak, and Pyrus Phasorak! How do you like a taste of your own fancy gadgets, Vyander? Assume weapon mode, Panferus!" Altogether, his Power Level was now at a stunning 2075.

"Ability—Activate!" I yelled, as the entire force of five Bakugan and Microgan attacked Dixie. "Supreme Minimise! This card, of the Silent Core this time, is also unique to Elaquaresii, and lowers your Power Level to 100!" Kyroah'rhas's jaw dropped as Dixie sent out an immense burst of negative energy and blew all her opponents off the Gate. Rebecca remained silent and tense on the sidelines, but Nova and the three Ventus Bakugan cheered faintly.

It was then time for Kyroah'rhas to take his next turn as I caught Dixie, now feeling confident enough to give a charming-but-annoying smile despite the gravity of the situation. "Bakugan Brawl!" snarled Kyroah'rhas. "Stand, Darkus Dual Hydranoid!"

It was my turn to gape as the Netherosleader stood on my Gate Card. Was it him? Yes, he still had those missing teeth, except that he now had two heads and two tails—the left head being the one with the lost teeth. He also had 700G-Power. "B-but how did you get him to evolve?" I faltered, while our audience murmured to themselves.

"We have our methods, Vyander." sniggered Kyroah'rhas. "In this case, it was with the forbidden Chaos Ability X. You may have read of it back when you were just another pathetic cadet."

I had indeed heard of the card: it triggers a forced evolution on any Bakugan it is used with, and is generally considered to be far beyond cruel. "How could you _do _that to him?" I asked, horrified.

"He is my prisoner," shrugged Kyroah'rhas, "and I will do with him what I will."

"You devil." I spat, as Nova and the others agreed fiercely, shooting Kyroah'rhas filthy looks.

"Oh, get your hand off it," mocked Kyroah'rhas. "Don't act like you're up yourself, as though you know anything about morals. You soldiers are all alike, killing for your precious king and pretending it's not the crime against nature it is."

"What would _you_ know?" I screamed. "Your race in general have killed off _thousands_ of Staryans, and you alone have killed Siege, my parents, Bec's dad, Nicholas, Benjamin and Rianna, among others! _You're_ the killing machine, Kyroah'rhas. _You_ are!" Kyroah'rhas said nothing to that, but turned away with a disdainful snort and indicated that I should continue the battle. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. "We'll settle this, Dixie," I whispered to the pigeon, who sat in my hand and gave a mournful hoot. "We'll resolve our argument not with words, but with action. Bakugan Brawl!" I tossed Dixie onto my card. "Stand, Guard of the Cores, Elaquaresii!" Dixie flew up to meet Dual Hydranoid, screaming out the word _merp_ at the top of her ornithic lungs. "Gate Card—Open!" I added. "Surging Strength!"

"Ability—Activate!" returned Kyroah'rhas. "Gate Warp!" My Gate smashed into fragments, and a new one appeared in its place. "Character Card—Open! Hydranoid!" Dual Hydranoid's G-Level ascended to 1400. "Ability—Activate!" he added. "Ultimate Transfer X! That pigeon will make an excellent addition to my collection, Vyander. Perhaps I'll use her mighty power to obliterate you where you stand!"

"You'll have to catch her first, chum," I taunted. "Ability—Activate! Supreme Transfer! Plus, Fusion Ability—Activate! Supreme Take-Over! These cards are again both specifically for Elaquaresii. Supreme Transfer, of the Silent Core, lowers your Power Level to zero, then takes the amount you lost, doubles it, and adds it to _my _Power Level! Supreme Take-Over, of the Infinity Core, brings all the lost pieces to my side after the match! So kiss goodbye to your hostages, you sick filth. Dixie, ATTACK!"

While Rebecca and the Bakugan applauded wildly, Dixie squawked an agreement and lost no time in blasting waves of positive and negative energy at Hydranoid, who buckled under the pressure and turned back to a ball. He zoomed over to my hands, accompanied by Cybertallion, Centipoid, and the Microgan.

Kyroah'rhas couldn't do anything but give a howl of rage and desolation as the Field bubble around us cracked to pieces with the force of Dixie's attack and he was left stranded in the dust, near powerless and without a single Gate win to his name.


	31. Chapter Thirty: Descending Swiftly

**Chapter Thirty – Descending Swiftly Through Darkness**

"_NO!"_ screeched Kyroah'rhas, reverting to Sektarii form in his anger. _"IMPOSSSIBLE! HOW DID THAT ONE MEASSSLY _PIGEON_ VANQUISH MY _ENTIRE FORCE!?_"_

"She's not just any old pigeon, you know," I said, smiling at how I, too, had once regarded Dixie a lot less highly than I now did. "She's the most _extraordinary _pigeon you could ever hope to meet."

"_I don't care if she'sss the Chief Sssektarusss'sss Official Extraordinary Arssse Wiper!" _snarled Kyroah'rhas. _"She'll not ssstop me from killing you!" _He rushed at me for the second time in just over a week, black fire shooting from his clawed fingertips. This time, however, it was Dixie who stood in his way, readying a ball of energy to blast at him.

"You might want to be careful," I called. "Dixie's positive light destroys Sektarii scum like you at the slightest touch, so don't be foolish, or you'll die."

Kyroah'rhas narrowed his eyes at me for a moment. _"If you could kill me now, Vyander," _he rasped bitterly. _"Then why do you falter? You ssseemed pretty passsionate a moment ago about all I've done to you and your friendsss in the passst. Why do you now hesssitate to exact vengeance?"_

"Because," I said, "you have something that I want." For a second, I was reminded of the time when we had both been in this situation before, only in different positions.

"_Well, Vyander, as it happens, I want many things... However, you are only able to give me one of them."_

"_I'll never give you anything." I said angrily. _

"_Oh, I think you will..."_

"_Well, what do you want?" _asked Kyroah'rhas, gnashing his teeth in fury.

"Information." I stated. "Seven years ago, you killed my parents and everyone else in my home town. Then four years after that, you and I met for the first time, and from that moment on you've had it out for me, killing my guardian and hurting those closest to me. Why?"

At first, Kyroah'rhas merely looked at the floor, and it didn't seem as though he would answer. Then he looked up again, directly into my eyes, and I saw hatred...and pain. I found myself staring at anger personified, with just a flicker of past suffering. _"Asss you wish, Vyander," _he snarled, pain fading away and leaving only rage. _"I'll tell you—and watch you closssely to sssee how your face fallsss when you hear the truth, and are forced to change your moral ssstanding."_

I was unsure what he meant by this, but I didn't really care, so long as I finally got to hear his motives behind all the bloodshed that marred our history together. So I nodded curtly for him to continue.

"_When I showed you my true form," _began Kyroah'rhas, _"I sssaid that I wasss Ssson of the Chief Sssektarusss. In all honesssty, that isss not correct. In fact, I am only hisss adoptive ssson. My real father wasss one of the Chief SsSektarusss'sss bodyguardsss, and hisss name was Aethiel'maerhesss. When I wasss only sssixteen (for I am older than I look ), my father wasss murdered by a sssoldier of the Royal Ssstarsssector Army—_your_ father, General Patrick Vyander."_

Kyroah'rhas stopped for a moment, observing me intently—and not without reasonable cause, for the minute he had said _your father_, my face had slackened, paling visibly. My entire deportment stated _I am shocked_. "B-but...but he couldn't have!" I protested. "My father—"

"_YOUR FATHER WASSS GENERAL PATRICK VYANDER, WASSS HE NOT!?" _screamed Kyroah'rhas. _"AND YOUR ACCURSSSED KING HAD SSSENT HIM TO ASSSASSSINATE THE CHIEF SSSEKTARUSSS, WHICH MEANT DESSSTROYING ALL HISSS BODYGUARDSSS, INCLUDING _MY_ FATHER!"_

He paused again, staring at me. I looked back, now completely white. It was some moments before either of us spoke. I think we'd both completely forgotten the presence of others in the room. As far as we were concerned, it was just me and Kyroah'rhas gazing at each other, transfixed, across what felt simultaneously like the entire universe and nothing at all. After a few seconds, Kyroah'rhas started talking again, leaving emotion at the doorstep as he wandered through his past.

"_That day, when I came into the guardsss' chamber to deliver a message, I found my father and the other guardsss lying in piecesss on the floor. Acrosss the room ssstood a man from Ssstarsssector, whom I recognisssed asss one of the king'sss generalsss. The man, who bore ssseveral heavy woundsss, took one look at me and then yelled sssomething into hisss radio, even asss I ssscreamed out for the patrol. The coward then leaped out the window and vanished, leaving me in the middle of my father'sss ssscattered remainsss, while the sssound of the patrol'sss footssstepsss grew louder outssside the door. _

"_I wasss too dissstraught then to go after the murderer, but sssoon after, I begged the Chief Sssektarusss'sss permisssion to track down thisss killer and make him pay. Aethiel'maerhesss had been one of the chief'sss closssessst friendsss, and ssso he granted my requessst, sssending me along with a sssquadron of sssoldiersss to help. We made our sssecret way into Reim, disssguisssed asss Ssstaryansss. After asssking around a bit, we found Novernford to be our dessstination, and ssso there we went. _

"_On arriving, we dropped our disssguisssesss and laid wassste to the town—but I made sssure that I dealt with General Vyander and hisss wife persssonally. I shall never forget the look of horrified recognition the general showed right before I ssslit hisss throat. I dissspatched hisss ssspoussse for good measssure, and then I gathered my troopsss, who had dessstroyed all othersss in the town, and we left._

"_I thought my revenge complete then, but was eventually to be proved wrong when I, on another misssion a few yearsss later, wasss sssent to the Bakugan Brawler Sssquad, disssguisssed once more asss a young man of Ssstarsssector. It wasss there I met a cocky young boy on my firssst day, who introduced himssself asss Phyra Vyander, and I then realisssed that General Vyander mussst have had a ssson, for you were the ssspitting image of the villain who dessstroyed my father. _

"_I knew not how you had sssurvived the pillaging of Novernford, but I wasss determined to get revenge on you, too. And that, Vyander, isss why I have alwaysss hated you from the very beginning of our acquaintance, and that isss why I will not ressst until I have killed you and wiped out everything you hold dear, that Aethiel'maerhesss, my father, may be at lassst put properly to ressst."_

Kyroah'rhas stopped speaking for good now, his eyes glowing with the fire of hate and loss once more. I just stood there, remembering the first time we had met, back at the BBS. I thought I had seen something like a glimmer of remembrance in Kyroah'rhas's eyes when I'd told him my name, and now I knew for sure that I hadn't been imagining it...

The silence was then broken unexpectedly by Rebecca. "You're sick, Kyroah'rhas." she said in disgust.

Kyroah'rhas's head snapped around to look at her. _"What do you mean, sssick?" _he hissed angrily.

"The fact that Phyra's dad had to terminate _your _dad during a mission," said Rebecca, speaking louder as she came to stand in front of him, "does not grant you the right to maim and kill whomever you want, whenever you want, under the pretence of _revenge_. So one guy kills your father. That's terrible, but that doesn't mean you have leave to kill several people alongside that one man. You were just angry, and you took that anger out on the innocent. That makes you no better than Phyra's dad."

"_Thossse I killed were my lifelong enemiesss!" _growled Kyroah'rhas. _"Have you not learned anything from Lord Twattar and Laydayasss Cayuuntash!? D'you think moral rulesss apply to the race that my people have sssworn to kill?"_

"Bakugan don't fall into that category!" snapped Rebecca. "So why did you kill Siege? Besides, if you're going to go all _Lord Twattar and Laydayas Cayuuntash_ on us, as if we didn't _know_ the story already, if it's okay for you to kill people of Starsector just because you're a Sektarus, then doesn't that mean it's okay for Phyra's father to kill Sektarii, just cos he's a Staryan?"

"_I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT YOU THINK IT MEANSSS!" _roared Kyroah'rhas. _"ALL I CARE ABOUT RIGHT NOW ISSS SSSLAUGHTERING THE LASSST OF VYANDER'SSS MISSSERABLE LINE!" _With that, he swung around and viciously clubbed Rebecca out of the way, then came running at me again while she hit the wall, crying out in pain. I hadn't any time to figure out a plan, so I decided to do the first thing that came into my mind, which was to yell at Dixie to help me, when suddenly everything slowed and time seemed to stand still...

_Kyroah'rhas's evil red eyes stared into my green ones, as if they were trying to burn up my soul... _Not Bakugan,_ I thought numbly._ Sektarus. How could I not have seen...? _I returned his gaze evenly, and pulled a card out of my pocket, knowing already what it would be... "Ability—Activate! Claws Furiously Burning!" I screamed, slamming my card to the floor, even as it glowed red and jets of fire grew out of my claws—dangerous weapons—DANGER..._

_Grinning maniacally, I leaped towards Kyroah'rhas as though in a trance and sunk my flaming claws into his flesh, ignoring the screaming as blood spilled across the floor—blood—everywhere... I leered with pleasure...then I began to put out my fangs. Wait...I didn't have fangs! What was going on? Then there was a long, birdlike screech..._

_I looked up and saw another Bakugan flying down to attack me. _Dixie?_ I called inwardly._ What are you doing? What is happening? _Even as I tried to fend her off with my claws, she shot a huge blast of dark negative energy at me. As it enveloped me I tried to call for help, but all that came out was a terrible, screeching cry, like that of a wounded animal..._

_I was being consumed by the darkness... Suddenly, I saw a brilliant white light coming towards me and...it was Nova!_

"_PHYRA!" he yelled, grabbing the back of my shirt between two claws and shaking me. "PHyra, snap out of it!_ PHYRA!_"_

_I felt myself losing consciousness, and was vaguely aware that someone was screaming. I think it was me. I raised my fiery claws and began to try and fight my way out of Nova's grip, and then the world seemed to close in on itself and—_

I came to, shaking spasmodically. I couldn't breathe through the dense fog that seemed to be wrapped tightly around me, blocking out all sight and sound of the world outside. After a few terrifying moments, I heard Nova calling again. When I tried to answer, my reply came out as words, not animal noises. It was then that I found my breath had returned. Presently, everything began to fade back into focus. I saw that I was back in the cave, with Nova, Rebecca and Dixie gathered worriedly around me. Preyas, Dual Hydranoid and the other Bakugan stood off to the side, watching the rest of us seriously.

I waved everyone away, saying I was alright, and noticed my hands were back to normal. The others moved further back, and I saw for the first time what had been obscured from my field of vision at first. Kyroah'rhas lay dead in a pool of dark blood on the floor.

"What happened?" I gasped, unable to fully grasp what I was seeing.

"It was awful, Phyra," said Nova. He was looking at me, wide-eyed, with a kind of fascinated terror, as though wondering if I'd go berserk again. "Your eyes—they sort of went all glassy, and you walked towards Kyroah'rhas like you were under an enchantment...and then you drew the blade on your BakuPod and hacked him apart like he was a piece of furniture or something."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Me? Cutting someone to pieces like that? Yes, Kyroah'rhas was my enemy...but still, I would never have thought myself capable of brutal, cold-blooded murder like that... "Well.," I said, unable to take my eyes off of Kyroah'rhas's mangled body, "that's that. This chain of never-ending revenge is broken at last. Kyroah'rhas's father and the Chief Sektarus's guards are avenged. My parents and the citizens of Novernford are avenged. Rebecca's dad, Rianna, Nicholas and Benjamin are all avenged. And Siege... Siege is avenged."

_Siege... _I thought, looking up at the rainbow ceiling. _Your killer has at last paid the price for his actions. It's time for me to let go of your memory and embrace what I have now. So long...and thanks for all the fish._

As the nine of us stood in silence around the corpse on the ground, a new voice suddenly penetrated the solemn quietness of the cavern. _"Ah," _it said. _"I sssee there have been sssome interesssting new developmentsss." _As one, we all pivoted to see the owner of the voice. It was the Chief Sektarus. And he had an entire army of Sektarii with him.

He fixed us all with a surprisingly neutral gaze at first...until his eyes fell on the body of his foster son. An ugly gleam then flickered up in them at that moment, and he spoke again, this time with quiet menace. _"Ssso," _he said. _"It ssseemsss that hissstory hasss repeated itssself." _He looked directly at me as he spoke, taking in my appearance, which was so like that of my father. _"Sssurrender," _he ordered. _"Or elssse you and all othersss in your beloved City of Reim will be crushed under the asssault of my new army. Our Ruler, the Sssupreme Darknesss will then reign triumphant, and he shall devour your corpsssesss in front of your children, and make them dance in your blood while he ssspitsss out your bonesss!"_

"That sounds a bit dark for our tastes," was Nova's obstreperous reply. "I have a better idea. It's called _You take us to your Supreme Darkness cretin, and Dixie and I will happily beat him or her or it to a pulp._"

The Chief Sektarus didn't seem angry at this insult. On the contrary, he sniggered. _"Very well," _he grinned. _"I'll essscort you to the Darknesss'sss chambersss, and we'll watch you crumble before hisss mighty presssence." _Nova scoffed at that, but allowed himself to be directed out another doorway, with the rest of us following along. Not that we had a choice, since the Not-So-Royal Sektarus Army had us entirely surrounded, and all escape routes were cut off. It didn't really help either that _these_ Sektarii were armed with blasters.

We walked slowly down a dark passageway, quite unlike the shining opal halls of before, and presently egressed into yet another cavern. This one was also dark, like the passage, and from what we could make out in the thick blackness, was spherical in shape. I guessed that this must have been the very heart of Inner Space.

Now, this cave wasn't entirely cast into shadow. In the very centre of it was a crackling field of what looked like dark purple lightning intermingled with pure white lightning. This field was also spherical, and my premise was that it was a mix of energy from the two cores. The energy sent flickering little patches of light dancing across the surface of the rocky walls around us. It revealed the silhouettes of my companions around me as we all stood, hypnotised, and stared at the field... Except it wasn't the field itself we were staring at. It was what was _inside _the field.

Three long snaking necks, with savage, dragon-like heads at the ends. Three sets of dark, insectile wings. Three long, spiny tails. A large, dark black body, with a spiked silver plate armouring the underbelly. Two bulky forearms with sharp, clawed fingers, and two strong back legs, with long, clawed toes.

It was a Hydranoid, and not just any at that: an Alpha Hydranoid, trapped in the middle of the energy field.

"_No..." _Nova's whisper cut through the low murmur of voices like a hot knife through butter (or cold fish through cheesecake, if you prefer). "No," he repeated, aghast. "It can't be...it just _can't _be..." The Hydranoid's head turned to face us as the words caught his ears. I noticed that its middle head was severely damaged—so much so that a part of his skull could actually be seen protruding from above the left temple. "YOU!" roared Nova, flying up next to the field. "YOU WERE DEAD! YOU WERE KILLED!"

"Ah," chuckled the Hydranoid. "Novaakii. We meet again."

"Nova..." I called nervously. "Who is this?"

"Who do you think?" Nova cried bitterly. _"Darcell."_

"Darcell!?" I yelped. "But he—you—he was dead! The leaders of the five remaining Attribute groups killed him right in front of everyone! How could he have possibly survived?"

"I think," said Nova, "that's something we'd _all_ like to know." He glared at Darcell, who gave an evil smirk and said, "Oh, it was no great difficulty, Novaakii. See, the so-called fatal attack I suffered wasn't enough to kill me after all, for during the final battle of Inner Space, I had garnered enough battle experience to evolve to Dual Hydranoid, and I was stronger than ever as a result. So when the attack struck me down, I was merely stunned. I came to later, finding myself deserted in the middle of Inner Space."

Darcell's explanation did not end here, however. Instead, he continued on, more to himself than to the rest of us, as he became seemingly lost in his thoughts. "After that," he murmured, "I resolved that I would take the power of the cores without the Key if I had to. I had heard tell of a mystical guardian, rumoured to wander forever in the remoter regions of Inner Space, seeking his six brothers and sisters. I went off in search of this guardian, and after many days of searching, eventually happened upon a likely looking target: a pigeon, who said his name was Elahcimii, Guard of the Core. Also known as Ferdinand. I challenged him to a fight, and eventually emerged victorious, leaving his shattered remains floating behind me in the lonely southern currents.

"This victory was enough to help me evolve further to Alpha Hydranoid, and I then decided I was ready to unlock the power of the cores. So I headed off to the centre of Inner Space, where I saw them, side by side: two enormous orbs, one glittering with a magnificent golden hue and boasting infinite positive energy, the other a deathly silver-white, emitting the silent yet menacing aura of boundless negative energy.

"I gathered up the new power inside of me and released it, intending to use my Dark Transfer ability...but alas, my attempt failed, and the price for failure was a terrible one. I was trapped within this field of perfectly balanced energy, and forced to stand by and watch as the ramifications brought on by my actions took place around me. The dimension began to shift and warp, and a massive hole was rent through the very centre of Vestroia..."

"_It was said long ago, that the fabric of space, evil would shatter..._" I quoted softly, before looking up at Darcell, with an accusing gleam in my eye. "You created the rift, didn't you? Everything, _everything _links back to _you _and the war _you _started."

"Perhaps," said Darcell, not seeming at all contrite, "but...then again, maybe it was for the best, for it was because of Inner Space fusing to your world that I met the Chief Sektarus and found an army waiting for me, willing to obey my every command. It was because of this meeting that the Sektarii agreed to assist me in breaking free of this wretched predicament and putting my ultimate scheme into operation. It was my war _then_ that will end your war _now._"

"What do you mean?" I stammered.

"Hur, hur, hur, ha, ha, ha," chuckled Darcell. "You'll soon see, little boy—oh, whoops, I almost forgot. You _won't _see, because I've just remembered that by the time I put my plan into action, you and your friends will be safely deposited into the one place you'll _never _escape from. _Parting is such sweet sorrow_, as I've heard randoms from your world say. Farewell." With that, Darcell reared his three heads back suddenly and blasted a hole in the air right behind us, creating a dark portal entirely black in hue and unlike any I had ever seen before. He then motioned to the Sektarii surrounding us, and we found ourselves being jostled towards this portal, unable to resist the strong current of pushing hands and prodding laser blasters.

I was mere inches away from toppling into the portal, when suddenly Darcell's voice rang out again. "Hold." The Sektarii turned back to their master, wondering what he wanted. "Bring that pigeon here," he said. "I might just have an idea."

The Chief Sektarus nodded, and beckoned for one of his soldiers to grab hold of Dixie. Leering, the Sektarus did as he was bid, extending his clawed hand forward to grasp the pigeon around the neck.

Dixie, as it turned out, had other plans. With an infuriated screech, she flew up to meet Darcell's eye. "FERDINAND!" she screamed, saying something other than _merp_ for the second time since I'd met her. "YOU KILLED HIM, YOU FIEND!"

"Did that pigeon just—!?" Nova and several Sektarii began, but all were cut off when Dixie gathered a vast amount of energy up around her and shot it at the imprisoned Darcell while the rest of us looked on, fascinated. The field around Darcell began to collapse, fragmenting into hundreds of energy bolts which Dixie harnessed and fired again and again at her target. Darcell, however, was up for the challenge and began to fight back, sending blasts of darkness, fire and lightning at the tiny pigeon, who, nimble though she was, was not able to dodge all of them.

The fight raged on, and everyone else forgot about everything, including the mysterious portal...until a stray bolt of lightning struck the soldier directly in front of me, sending him crashing into my chest. I lost my balance, careened into Rebecca, and then the two of us collided with Nova and the other Bakugan gathered around, so that all nine of us fell in a confused, tangled heap right through the portal.

"No!" I yelled wildly, scrabbling around for a handhold and finding none. "Dixie! HELP US!" But it was no use: she couldn't hear me. Nothing was to be done. We found ourselves falling down what felt like a bottomless pit, lined with...nothing. We were hurtling through a void, and the opening above us was growing smaller and smaller as we fell further and further...

The last thing I remember seeing before our view of Starsector's core vanished entirely was Darcell fending off a particularly vicious attack of Dixie's...and then the opening became too small to see, and we were descending swiftly through darkness... I lost consciousness, and my companions' cries were no more.


	32. Chapter Thirty-One: The Endless Dark

**PART IV:**

**BEGINNING OF THE DESTRUCTION...**

**Chapter Thirty-One – The Endless Dark Around Me**

Silence. Darkness.

I was lying motionless on a cold, hard surface, with my eyes tightly closed. I opened them, and found that I couldn't see anything. That scared me at first. I wondered if my fall had somehow blinded me, knocked my eyeballs out of my head or something. Then a black mass appeared within my line of vision, silhouetted against the endless dark around me, and then I realised that no, I could see, only there was nothing _to _see. I tried to activate the light on my BakuPod, but the entire device seemed to have shorted out.

"Phyra?" A voice came from this dark shape. Rebecca's voice.

"I'm here," I said tiredly, feeling along my body to try and assess the damage. When I attempted to bend my left leg, it wouldn't move, and I let out an involuntary gasp of pain.

"What's up?" Rebecca asked, sounding closer this time.

"I think I broke my leg." I muttered tightly. "Can you help me up?" Her hand seemed to come out of nowhere, groping for mine. I took it, ignoring several distracting sensations that sprung from the movement, and she pulled me awkwardly to my feet. "Thanks," I said, being careful to keep all my weight on my right as I stared around at the nothingness that seemed to span every side forever. It was then that I realised I hadn't been lying on the ground at all, but on Nova's wing. _No wonder I wasn't killed, _I thought numbly. _He must have caught me before I reached the bottom. _"Are we all here?" I asked Rebecca. "Nova's behind me, but I don't know about Hydranoid, or Preyas, or any of the others..."

"Who can tell?" she replied in exasperation. "No one else seems to be saying anything, and I can't even see an inch from the tip of my nose."

"Where are we, would you opine?" I asked, looking around again and still seeing nothing.

"No idea." came the answer. "Somewhere bleak, dead. You can practically _feel _despair and decay in the air."

"Maybe we should try and move," I suggested. "See if anyone...or any_thing _appears."

"With your leg like that?" she said incredulously.

"Right, yes..." I said, brought back into the dim present. "Do you think there's anything around here we can make a splint with? A stick, a metal bar, a bone..."

"I can look," Rebecca said doubtfully, and I sensed her crouch down, groping around on the harsh, rocky ground we were standing on. "No good," she said after a few minutes. "I can't see or feel anything."

"Alright," I said slowly, trying to fight down waves of despair, "well, you look around and see if you can find Preyas and the others. I'll try and wake Nova." She muttered a reply, then I heard the dull tread of her feet as she walked away a bit, beginning to call out to the Bakugan. Meanwhile, I painfully let myself down into an awkward sitting position near where I guessed Nova's head to be, with my good leg curled under me, and my bad leg sticking straight out.

It was only now that I dimly registered something I should have noted before: Nova was still in Bakugan form. That meant that either there was a field generator activated around here somewhere, or else we weren't in Starsector any longer. This didn't exactly bode well, but I'd already assumed that Darcell wouldn't really have sent us into a welcoming sort of place. _Darcell. _I shuddered, still unable to believe that he was alive. The Bakugan responsible for the Hydranoid War, alive and well, and in Starsector. And not one single Staryan knew about it except Rebecca and I...and just look at where _we_ were.

_Who will warn the king? _I thought miserably. _What does Darcell plan to do? What did he mean, _it was my war then that will end your war now_? What could _that_ possibly forebode? _I decided that there wasn't any time to speculate. If Starsector was to be saved from whatever evil Darcell and the Chief Sektarus were planning, then there was only one thing to be done: Rebecca, the Bakugan and I had to escape from this place—wherever it was—and inform the king, alert the army, and make a stand for our homes, friends and families. "Nova!" I said, having reached this conclusion. "Nova, are you hurt? Can you speak?" I shook him gently and after a moment, two fiery green spots appeared in the darkness: his eyes.

"Phyra, you're safe..." he said, relieved. "We're both safe."

"I don't quite know if you could say _that_," I said grimly, as pain shot through my leg and the darkness around us seemed to grow thicker, tighter, as though it were trying to suffocate us, "but we're alive, and that's something to be thankful for, at any rate. Are you injured?"

"I think I sprained my wing," he said, flexing uncomfortably. "Other than that, I'm fine. I'll just have to do without flying for a bit. You?"

"Broken leg," I said, trying not to flinch as I stood upright once more, with some difficulty, "but there's not much we can do about it, I'll warrant."

"Sorry to hear that," he said, also heaving himself to his feet. "Here, hop up." He held out a claw, which I took hold of, hanging on as he lifted me onto his shoulder. "C'mon," he said. "Let's see if we can't find any of the others."

"Bec went to your left, I think," I said, as we tried to figure out which way to go. The blackness around us was unchanging as Nova stumbled blindly forward, and we hoped against hope that he was going the right way. The ground remained level and flawless for a way—a blessing to be grateful for—but no landmarks or inhabitants presented themselves, and there was no sign of light anywhere. At last we heard the sound of Rebecca's voice, seeming oddly distorted in the thin, empty air. She was looking for us.

"I found Preyas," she announced as we made our way to her, guided by her calls, "but there's no sign of anyone else around the joint."

"Blam." said Preyas dejectedly, sitting her in his palm.

"Well," I said bracingly, "standing around here won't find them. I say we pick a direction and get moving."

"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming," Rebecca uttered hollowly, with just the hint of a smile.

"I may not be able to _see _that smile, but I can certainly _hear _it." I said sharply.

"But only cos you're a creepy old gypsy woman." Rebecca quoted, still smiling. I didn't deign to reply, and we continued onwards. Eventually, we actually began to make some progress. While the ground started getting more uneven, the darkness gradually segued into a soft, filtered, purplish light. Not really Vitamin D, mind you, but not bad all the same, and certainly a hell of a lot better than not being able to see where we were going.

Oddly-shaped pillars and cliffs began to make appearances in the distance, and if you were quiet long enough, you could fancy you even heard sounds of life—dull, heavy wing-beats, maybe, or slow, ragged breathing. These sounds weren't exactly comforting, but the thought that we might not be the only ones here worked wonders in helping us hold on to our sanity as the minutes lengthened into hours and there was little change in, well, anything.

Finally, we turned a corner and _something _happened...but if we'd known what that something was, we'd have all said we preferred the earlier monotony to this. "Great cheesecakes!" I gasped.

"Sodding damned _shmeklets_." Nova swore under his breath.

"Is that...?" Rebecca trailed off, tears springing to her eyes.

"Mwarp." acknowledged Preyas, falling to his knees beside the gory, splattered remains of Ventus Gorgonoid, lying smeared all over the rock face.

"Looks like _his_ landing wasn't so lucky." I said quietly, fighting down the urge to release the contents of my stomach everywhere.

"He's not the only unfortunate one," Nova added. "Look..." He pointed, and we followed his gaze, seeing it only a moment after he did: Tigrerra's corpse, which had turned completely to stone. Her eyes were blank, and her mouth hung wide open in a silent scream of anguish.

"What is this nightmare?" Rebecca demanded tearfully, looking helplessly at what was left of the Bakugan. "What sort of a place _is _this?"

"I. TELL. YOU." came a long, low growl from behind us. As one, we swivelled around and saw the face of a familiar Bakugan, though this Bakugan looked as though it were visibly decomposing before our very eyes, with ragged strips of skin and flesh hanging limply over cracked, blackened bones, and sunken red eyes that looked blankly out at the world and saw only sickness and death. It was Benjamin's Guard Cycloid. "WELCOME," he grunted, "TO. THE...DOOM DIMENSION."

* * *

"We should have known." Nova said heavily. "What better place for Darcell to send us than to the Doom Dimension, whence Bakugan can never return? What better revenge is there to gain than to send me, his enemy, to my eternal demise, as it is written?"

"Well," I said determinedly, "we're not going to give up yet. If Dixie and the Legendary Soldiers can get out of here, then so can we."

Nova's face lit up at my words. "The Legendary Soldiers," he said excitedly. "Of course! I bet _they _can help us. Cycloid, do you know where we can find them?"

"NO." said Cycloid, looking exceedingly confused. "MASTER. HE THROW ME AWAY. COME DOWN HERE. HURT. MUCH HURT..."

"Sorry to hear that," I said, seeing how sad he looked, "but if you could just tell us where to find the Legendary Soldiers, maybe they can help—"

"HURT." repeated Cycloid, seemingly unable to understand what we were asking. "THROW AWAY. HURT."

"Oh, this is no good." I said impatiently to the others. "We'll just have to find the Legendary Soldiers ourselves."

The others had just started to agree, when a new voice sounded from above. "Derp." it said. We looked up, and saw...

"SAUSAGE!" yelled Nova.

"ELAHPARII!" I shmarkled.

"TALKING PIGEON!" screamed Rebecca.

"BLIPPERTY-GIPPERTY BOOM HA!" roared Preyas.

"DERP!" Sausage hollered again.

"THAT PIGEON." boomed Cycloid, scratching his moulding head. "HIM SAY _DERP?_"

"Yes, I suppose he did." I said, in a _here we go again_ voice.

"HOW...EX—EX—EXTRA...ORDININARR—" Cycloid tried to pronounce the word, but failed.

"Extraordinary." corrected Nova, garnering a glare from me.

"WHAT. YOU. SAY." shrugged Cycloid.

I was about to stuff my fingers in my ears, when a thought occurred to me. "Hey, Sausage, or Elahparii, or whatever you like," I said. "Can _you _take us to Apollonir?"

"Derpy-derp!" agreed Sausage, flapping off to lead the way.

"So, what's the story with this guy?" inquired Rebecca as we started to follow. "I don't believe you ever told me about him, or that other one you had. Elephant or something."

"Elaquaresii." I corrected with a sigh. "It's a long story, but you see, there was this bloke called Kensington..."

* * *

By the time I'd finished explaining about our madcap adventures in Vestroia with Kensington and the six always-extraordinary pigeons, Sausage had led us to a stony clearing that was surrounded on all sides except one by steep, rocky crags.

Cycloid had stayed where we'd left him. I can't say I was sorry, though I _did_ pity him, since for whatever reason his _master_ had had, he'd been sent down here to rot among the carrion of the other unfortunates who had been sent to their eternal demise in centuries past. There was no sign of Hydranoid, Centipoid or Cybertallion, either. I hoped they were okay, but in a place such as this, their chances of survival were, to put it one way, so thin they would make a rice cracker feel like dieting. Thinking about that kind of fate didn't really inspire me to hope that we'd get off any lighter, though, so I ceased to dwell on it, and the four of us waited while Sausage went off to fetch Apollonir and his five companions.

A few moments passed, and then six masked and cloaked figures filed slowly through the gap between the peaks. They didn't look at all like how I had seen or heard of them, but I supposed that their true forms, as I knew them, were revealed only in certain circumstances. Sausage was with them too, but once they'd entered the clearing, he gave a cheerful hoot, spread his wings and left, presumably to join the other pigeons—wherever they might be.

"So," said the leader of the group we faced, whom I took to be Apollonir on account of his familiar voice and red robes. "What I predicted back in Ventus Space has come to pass, Novaakii. We meet again, and this time in my own—for want of a better expression—dominion_._"

"It rather seems that way," murmured Nova, taking a respectful step forwards. "We were sent here by the wicked Darcell, who it would appear has risen forth to complete the evil he started so long ago."

The figures all let out varied sounds of shock at these words. "That is grave news indeed," said asmallgreen figure to Apollonir's right. "Lars Lion had been able to tell us of Novaakii's capture, and all of us were certain that the Sektarii were in the employ of a higher power...but _Darcell! _Not even _we _guessed as much."

"Yes," I put in bitterly, "and only we here know about it. No other Staryans have any clue as to the real state of things. The Sektarii and Darcell are planning some kind of attack on us, no doubt, and there's not a soul in the Star who can notify the king!"

"Well," said the green figure slowly, "that is something we ought to dwell upon carefully—but in the meantime, perhaps some formal introductions are in order? I know of Novaakii, and I recognise he of my own Attribute to be an Angelo Preyas Alpha, but I don't believe I know _your_ name, Brawler, or your Staryan friend."

"If that stuff is really important to you, all you had to do was ask _me_," white-robed Lars Lion sniffed primly. "_I'm_ the one with soul-seeing powers and all."

"Yeah, well, I prefer more _traditional_ and _mannerly _forms of socialising, you creep," snapped the green figure, before turning back to us and saying, "pardon the interruption. So anyway, I'm Ventus Oberus."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," I said. "My friend here is Rebecca Fletcher, and I'm Phyra Vyander."

"_Phyra_?" repeated Oberus. "That is an interesting name."

"Well," I admitted, "actually, it's just a nickname. My real name is Patrick, after my father."

Nova and Rebecca gave me queer looks. "You've never told _us _that." Nova said uncertainly.

"It's not something I enjoy talking about often." I stated flatly.

"I see," said Oberus, cutting off anything Nova might have said. "Fair enough, then. Now, I believe you know Apollonir and Lars Lion well enough, but these other randoms are Subterra Clayf, Darkus Exedra and Aquos Frosche." She indicated the final three Bakugan, who were wrapped in garments of brown, black and blue respectively.

"Charmed," I said, while Rebecca nodded. "Now would also probably be a good time to give my thanks to you, Apollonir, for sending Dixie to Starsector. Without her, I don't know if I would ever have been able to rescue Nova from the Sektarii."

"Ah," said Apollonir, and I could picture him smiling beneath his mask. "And how fares dear Elaquaresii? Has she not returned with you?"

"No," I said soberly. "When we were sent here, she was fighting Darcell. I don't know how their battle turned out."

"I'm sorry to hear it," said Apollonir gravely. "She was a good pigeon. Most extraordinary."

"Indeed she was," I said, thinking back to all those messages she'd typed on my computer.

Silence reigned a moment before Nova spoke to Apollonir again. "I...I have a question," he said, sounding unsure of himself, "and I hoped one of you might know the answer to it."

"We may, or we may not," answered Apollonir, "but ask, by all means."

"Well," said Nova, "back when we were visiting Pyrus Space... Back when you were still pretending to be Kensington..." Apollonir barely suppressed a chuckle here, and most of the others sniggered. "There was a...moment," continued Nova, not listening to them, "when I...when Phyra spoke to me. He—he repeated to me the last words my father, Hylar, had spoken."

"Oh, Hylarai," said Apollonir, ceasing his laughter at once. "He was a noble Bakugan."

"Noble indeed..." said Nova, turning bitter for a moment before resuming in normal tones. "I was wondering how Phyra could possibly have known such words—words _I _certainly never spoke to him."

"That is a difficult question," Apollonir replied after a moment, "and I do not think I can give you the answer."

"Well, maybe you know why, when I confronted Kyroah'rhas, I had a vision like the ones Nova sent to me all those years ago." I put in, sounding choked. "Why I went all queer and...and killed him."

"You killed him?" asked Lars Lion sharply. "I thought you and I had talked about where the blame lay. Surely you are not the type for revenge?"

"It wasn't like that," I said wearily, and began to explain exactly what had happened.

"I understand..." she said when I'd finished. "But that is all a part of the same question—and sadly, as Apollonir says, the answer is not ours to give. So tough titty, sunshine."

"It's never easy." I said mournfully.

"If everything were _easy_," snorted Apollonir, "then entertaining stories wouldn't exist."

"But this isn't an entertaining story!" I cried, outraged. "This is my _life!_"

"Eve's Sacred _Biscuits_, you sound like a drip." scoffed Apollonir. "Your so-called _life_ isn't what we ought to be meditating on at this point. What we _should _ponder is what we think Darcell is up to back in Starsector—and more importantly, how to stop him."

"Ah, yes, right." I muttered. "Getting back on topic... So, do you guys know how to get us out of here? Can't the pigeons help or something?"

"Not when the distance is so far, and there are so many of you," said Apollonir hopelessly. "If you were going to Vestroia, that might be another matter, but Starsector? That is an impossible trip under the circumstances—especially since we only have five pigeons now."

"Derp," Sausage supplied helpfully.

"Not helpful, Elahparii." reproved Apollonir, at which the pigeon fell silent. We turned to our own thoughts for a moment, trying to come up with a way around our present conundrum. Once more, it was Nova who spoke up. "My key." he said.

"What?" we all asked.

"I need to use the Key," said Nova, growing more confident as he spoke, "to unlock the power of the two cores. If I have the power of limitless positive and negative energy, then I will become the mightiest Bakugan there is. I'd be all-powerful. Ultimate. Practically omnipotent. I might even get a decent six-pack! If _I _cannot then get us out of here, no one can."

"Why, you, my friend, are highly deserving of the Galactic Institute's Prize for Extreme Cleverness!" I exclaimed. "I'd like to see Darcell beat _you _when you're wielding _that_ kind of power...though no offence, I think you'd look kind of strange with a six-pack."

"Yes, but Phyra," objected Rebecca, "there's just one thing. Didn't you tell me when we went to rescue Nova that the cores had disappeared?"

My face fell at that. "You're right," I said. "You Legendary Soldiers don't know where they are, do you?"

"I know a Bakugan," said Apollonir, "who could tell you where they are."

"Really?" Nova smiled. "That's great! So who is this Bakugan, then?"

"I said I knew a Bakugan," said Apollonir neutrally, "but I didn't say I'd tell you who it was."

In less than a second, Nova's facial expression went from surprised to angry. "What do you mean?" he cried fiercely. "There's a whole blooming dimension in danger out there, the possibility of me getting a six-pack is rising, and _you're_ saying you won't help me, when I might be the only chance the Staryans and Bakugan of Starsector have left? What the fruitcaking _eggplant_ are you _thinking?_"

Apollonir did not back down. "The thing is, Novaakii," he said levelly, "that I don't believe you're ready to activate the Key. I don't think you've yet gained the self-control it takes to master such vast amounts of power as the cores possess. You saw what happened when Darcell tried to do the same—and the results were terrible, as we all know. It's a wonder he wasn't killed."

"Self-control, huh?" Nova repeated hotly. "I guess _you'd _know a lot about that. You seemed to show _plenty _of it when you were with us in Vestroia."

"That's neither here nor there." Apollonir snapped.

At this point, Lars Lion laid a restraining hand on Apollonir's arm, saying, "Enough. An argument between you two is the last thing we want at this point, even if Novaakii's chance to get a six-pack _is _at stake."

Apollonir shook off her hand and scowled coldly at Nova a minute before acquiescing. "You're right." he said. "We need to focus on our immediate problem."

"I propose," Exedra said slowly, "that you seek to rectify your claims, Apollonir, with a trial."

"Good idea, old bean." approved Frosche. "That _is_ what the World of Tests is for, after all."

"_The World of Tests_?" I echoed. "What in the name of Fate's Far-Left Toenail is _that?_"

"Well," said Frosche dramatically, "would you believe it is a magical spirit world affair designed to bring illusions and memories to life, in order that individuals being sent there may converse with otherworldly powers? Would you believe it? Otherworldly powers!"

"I find that hard to believe," I said, shaking my head.

Frosche paused a moment. "Would you believe...a hospital ward with medicines that can cure any shortcoming?" he tried again.

"I don't think so." I said sceptically.

"How about an examination room with outdated trigonometry tests?" Frosche conceded.

"Cut the theatrics, Frosche, this is getting us nowhere fast." Clayf said disgustedly.

"I was just having some fun," mumbled Frosche, before explaining properly. "The World of Tests is a special place we six created solely for circumstances like these—to devise custom challenges for those needing to overcome their personal foibles, or vices. If we send you there to be tested, Novaakii, we'll soon be able to see if you possess the self-mastery it will take to harness the power of the two cores. What do you say?"

Nova glowered at him a minute before replying. "Alright," he said resignedly. "Seeing as how none of you seem to trust me, I'll do it. Just one thing, though. What about Phyra? His leg is broken, and I don't want to just leave him here."

"Why, he must go with you, of course!" Lars Lion said as though it were obvious. "It's as much his test as yours, Novaakii. In fact, the test may well start you off on the journey to finding the answer you seek."

"Er, that's good to know," I said nervously, "but I can't really cope with any physical exertion at the moment, if it's all the same to you."

"Don't worry," chuckled Exedra. "I can personally guarantee that the test won't kill you. Seriously maim or permanently injure? Maybe, if you're clumsy enough...but not kill. Definitely not kill."

"That really isn't very comforting," I growled, "but fine. What will Rebecca and Preyas do while Nova and I are in the World of Tests, though?"

"Oh, that's simple," smiled Lars Lion. "We'll all have some nice, refreshing cups of tea and scones (pronounced to rhyme with _bones_, like Bill Oddie says, cos he's my hero), and gabfest a bit on assorted unimportant matters."

"Sounds fun," I said. "Well, any time you're ready, go ahead and send us off to—" Before I'd even finished speaking, a bright red beam suddenly enveloped Nova and me, and then we found ourselves being shot up into the air. "Hold on to your hat, Nova!" I called. "It looks like it's going to be a bumpy ride!"

"Imbecile!" he shot back. "I'm not even _wearing _a—" There was a loud _CRASH_,and everything went dark for a moment. When things started to come back into focus, I looked around and saw that we were definitely no longer in the Doom Dimension. In fact, we were in...Pyrus Space.

"Pyrus Space?" I exclaimed in disbelief, leaning forward on Nova's shoulder to see better around us. "Why are we in _Pyrus Space?_"

Nova shook his head slowly next to me. "We're not." he said heavily. "If it were _that_ easy to get out of the Doom Dimension, we'd all be in Starsector by now, doomed Bakugan and Soldiers included. No, I fear this is simply a part of the test we need to undergo."

"Oh," I said. "Well...what do you suppose the test is, then? This place is deserted apart from—"

"_COME." _I was cut off as a low word resonated through the rocky gorges, cutting swiftly through the thick, hot air like General Harp Darp slices his whiskey-imbued cheesecake on his birthday.

"Who said that?" I called nervously.

"_COME TO ME." _repeated the voice.

"Can you tell where that voice is coming from, Nova?" I asked, cocking my head to one side. "It sounds like it's issuing from, well, _everywhere!_"

"The mountains, I think," said Nova, frowning in concentration.

"_HURRY THE HELL UP, I'M GROWING IMPATIENT, AND MY IMPRESSIVE MYSTERIOUS AURA IS DIMMING."_

"Sir, yes, sir." muttered Nova, breaking into a run.

"_**GET ON AND FLY, WON'T YOU?**__"_

"I can't!" Nova snapped in the voice's general direction, still running. "My wing is injured for about the fiftieth time in my life!"

There was a voluminous sigh, and then the voice came down again. _"WHAT IF I HEAL YOUR INJURIES?"_

"Ooh, you can _do _that?" Nova squealed happily. "Oh, _do_,won't you?"

"_ALRIGHT..." _grumbled the voice. _"BUT ONLY BECAUSE I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT WITH SHIRLEY AT FOUR. __**REVIVE!**__" _A queer red light came shining down, and both of us felt our wounds being cured.

"Crikey," I said, impressed. "Thanks a heap. I thought I was going to have to sit on this idiot for—"

"_**HURRY UP!**__" _screamed the voice.

"WE'RE HURRYING!" Nova and I yelled back, as Nova spread his wings and flew us into the sky. We were soon hovering over the mountains, looking for the speaker. "Do you think," I asked, pointing, "that that intimidating cloaked figure with the silent, menacing aura and the quaint little bow-tie could be who we're looking for?"

"Probably," said Nova, taking a careful look. "He seems to meet all of the criteria we need—aside from the quaint little bow-tie, of course. I'll have to take marks off for that."

As if on cue, the figure looked up at us and spoke again. _"DON'T DISS MY QUAINT LITTLE BOW-TIE, RABBLE. IT MAKES ME UNIQUE AMONG THE LEGIONS OF MYSTERIOUS INTIMIDATING SILENT MENACING FIGURES WITH IMPRESSIVE BOOMING DEITY-LIKE VOICES."_

"Well, pardon me for living." sniffed Nova as we alighted upon the top of the peak.

"_YOU'RE PARDONED," _grunted the figure, straightening its quaint little bow-tie, _"AND NOW, IT SEEMS, IS TIME FOR YOUR TEST."_

"Yeah, great, whatevs." yawned Nova. "So, just what _is_ this test, then?"

"Er, Nova..." I muttered, looking around at the mountaintop we were situated on. "Do you realise where we would be if this were actually Pyrus Space?" Nova glanced briefly to his left and right, and looked flummoxed for a moment. Then he did a double-take as he, too, realised where we would have been: the peak, complete with faint bloodstains and scuff marks, where he had attempted to take his own life.

"_SO," _chuckled the figure. _"NOW YOU SEE."_

"What is this?" growled Nova, expression turning black. "What game are you playing—and who _are _you?"

"_YOU'LL FIND OUT IN TIME, NOVAAKII," _sniggered the other, _"BUT FIRST, YOU MUST BEST ME IN A BRAWL."_

"A battle against _you?_" scoffed Nova. "A Bakugan battle? Fire away, mate."

"_I WOULDN'T BE SO COCKY IF I WERE YOU,"_ the figure said snidely, pulling a Gate Card from within its robe, _"BUT IF YOU'RE WILLING TO ACCEPT, THEN WE'RE ALL SET. I HAVE PRESERVED YOU IN YOUR BAKUGAN FORM THUS FAR, NOVAAKII, BUT NO MORE: IT IS TIME TO BRAWL."_

There was a flash and a bang, and Nova turned back to a sphere with a high-pitched whistling noise. I caught him, and then pulled a card out of my pocket. "Field—Open!" we yelled. Once again, the sparkling trappings of the Field wound themselves into a dome around us, for the time was ripe to dispense with the talking and bring on the action.

As the dimensional structure changed, my BakuPod blinked back into life, which was lucky. I slotted a Gate into it, just as my opponent roared, _"GATE CARD—SET!"_

"Gate Card—Set!" I responded, sending the Gate over to sit in front of him. "Enhancer—Deploy! Rise, Pyrus Alpha Turret!" While Alpha Turret loomed up on my Gate, I considered my limited resources carefully, then decided on a plan and began at once to act on it. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Pyrus Assassin Dragonoid!" Nova sprang back into his true form on top of the other card, snarling.

"_GATE CARD—SET! ENHANCER—DEPLOY!"_ the cloaked figure returned. _"RISE, PYRUS ALPHA TURRET!" He's got one as well? _I wondered. _"BAKUGAN BRAWL!" _my adversary continued. _"STAND, PYRUS DRAGONOID!"_

A Pyrus Bakugan rose up next to Nova with a roar. It looked exactly like Nova had when I'd first met him, only smaller. It had 650G-Power. _"Novaakii oloris," _it uttered, leering.

Nova's jaw dropped. _"Reshkis Deltaashai?" _he answered. The other nodded, and Nova turned pale. "It's my brother," he whimpered, drawing back. "Delta."

"Delta?" I squawked. "But...he's dead!"

"_AS AM I, PHYRA." _chuckled the figure. _"OBSERVE." _In one swift, fluid motion, he threw off his cloak and quaint little bow-tie, revealing a set of features that I'd had to have been blind not to recognise. A pale, pointed face. Bright green eyes. Golden hair ordered into a stunning array of spikes... And a smile that was both irrepressibly charming and also most undoubtedly annoying.

It was me. Or was it?

"Allow me to introduce myself," said the second me, in a voice that was a lot like mine, only deeper. "General Patrick Vyander, Senior—your father."


	33. Chapter Thirty-Two: Layers of Pain

**Chapter Thirty-Two – Layers of Pain**

"_Dad?" _I gasped, feeling my composure slip away instantaneously. "How is it you're _alive?_"

"Weren't you listening?" my father returned testily. "I said I _was _dead. I _am _dead. Except I'm here."

"I don't understand." I said weakly.

"You will," said he, smiling not altogether kindly, "but you have to pass your test first. Now, battle me."

I looked at him uncertainly. "I don't want to fight you." I said, wondering why my throat felt so tight.

"You have to," he said pointedly. "Or you'll fail."

"Your dad is right, Phyra," said Nova, surprising me. "It's all a part of the test. Don't you see? We have to fight the past memories weighing us down: overcome them, banish them. That's what this means. Now, do it."

I gritted my teeth and said unhappily, "Alright, then. I'll battle."

My father gave another, sharper smile. "Very well," said he, raising a card. "Supportive Ability—Activate! Energy Leakage! Half the G-Power you gain from cards during this battle is sapped and converted into charge power for my Enhancer!"

I frowned, trying to find a way around that, then arrived at the conclusion I needed. "Come, Microgan!" I yelled. "Pyrus Tarantulak! Activate weapon mode!" My metal Pyrus arachnid burst into play, and my Power Level went up to 1090.

"Ability—Activate!" Dad returned. "Negative Switch! All G-Power you gained from your last move is changed to a negative amount!" There was a flash and a bang. Nova's Gs went down to 350.

"Ability—Activate!" I growled. "Flaming Blades! This card negates your Ability, and adds 200G-Power to my Power Level!" Nova's knives caught fire, and he darted forward and sliced viciously at Delta's side. His Power Level soared back up to its former amount, but he only got a further increase of 100, while the charge level of the enemy Alpha Turret went up to ten percent. It now matched my Alpha Turret in power. "Fusion Ability—Activate!" I continued. "Inferno Void! This transfers 200G-Power from your Power Level to mine!"

Delta's Gs went down to 450, but again, Nova's went up only by 100. He was now at 1290, while the other Alpha Turret was at twenty percent power. "Gate Card—Open!" my father countered. "Mind Ghost!" As the Gate beneath the Bakugan began to catch fire, I hurriedly slipped another card into my BakuPod and said, "Micro Ability—Activate! Tarantula Sting! This card cancels the effect of your Gate, and adds 200Gs to my Power Level!" The flames on the Gate Card died out, Nova went up to 1390, and the opposing Alpha Turret was at thirty percent.

"Come, Microgan," Dad said with a slightly warped grin. "Pyrus Vaeporo! Engage weapon mode!" A huge snake materialised on the card, then clipped onto Delta's back, arming him with long, deadly spikes. "Micro Ability—Activate!" Dad continued. "Venom Strike! Plus, Fusion Ability—Activate! Magnify! Venom Strike is a Micro Ability that can only be used by Vaeporo in weapon mode. It deducts 300G-Power from each enemy Bakugan and Microgan. Meanwhile, Magnify will double that." The spikes along Delta's back took on a greenish hue, and he shot a humongous fireball at Nova, whose Power Level went down to 190. Delta's, meanwhile, surged to 800G-Power.

"Ability—Activate!" I called. "Knife of Fire! This Ability card halves your Power Level, then brings mine up by the amount of G-Power you lost!" Nova reared up and used his still-burning blade to create a large, pointed fire formation in the air, which he flung at his brother with all the force of an erupting volcano. His Power Level went up to 390, while Delta's went down to 400. Dad's Alpha Turret rose up to fifty percent charge level. It was here that I unleashed the final step of my plan.

"Supportive Ability—Activate!" I yelled. "Charge Steal! This Supportive Ability reduces your Enhancer's charge level to zero. The percentage you lost is the percentage my Power Level is then increased by!" Nova's Power Level therefore went up by fifty percent, rising to 585. He sprang over and mercilessly beat Delta into ball form. As the Gate vanished, and Nova returned to me, I could have sworn I saw a tear splash onto the Field's floor, but I wasn't entirely certain.

I caught Nova, and it was my turn. "Gate Card—Set!" I shouted, launching a card over to sit beside my other one, which had my Alpha Turret sitting on it. "Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Pyrus Assassin Dragonoid!" Nova roared into life on the new Gate, and awaited his next opponent.

"Bakugan Brawl!" my father responded. "Stand, Pyrus Dragonoid!"

"Another one?" I gaped, utterly mystified, as a second red-orange dragon reared up next to Nova, this time with 680G-Power.

Nova, meanwhile, squinted at the new Dragonoid, then took a hesitant step backwards. "Mother," he whispered.

"What?" I called sharply. "That Dragonoid is your mother?"

Nova was about to say something in reply, when Dad spoke up. "That last battle was shoddy, Phyra," he said clearly. "The score was too close. That is not the way to pass this test."

"You heard Nova," I snapped back. "We have to overcome the past, therefore we have to beat our opponents out of our lives, and get the memories to leave us alone. Now, in your own words, _battle me._"

My father gave me a long, hard look before speaking. "So be it." he said. "Ability—Activate! Fiery Void!" 300G-Power was transferred from Nova's Power Level to Pyrus Dragonoid's.

"Supportive Ability—Activate!" I countered. "Charge Increase!" My Alpha Turret's charge level rose to sixty percent. "Come, Microgan," I continued. "Pyrus Tarantulak and Darkus Panferus! Tarantulak, weapon mode again!" As two Microgan ran onto the Field, a panther and a spider, my collective Power Level ascended to 920, then to 1020 as Tarantulak clicked into place at the end of Nova's tail.

"Come, Microgan," my father echoed, "Pyrus Vaeporo! Attach to Dragonoid!" A second red snake, this time with 270Gs, appeared and connected to Dragonoid in the same way as the previous one had with Delta. Dad's Power Level was now at 1350.

As the two dragons waged war above us, I inserted a couple of cards into my BakuPod and said, "Double Micro Ability—Activate! Spider Sensor, plus Faux Feline! Spider Sensor, when used while Tarantulak is in weapon mode, allows Nova to become invulnerable to your attacks, and adds 200G-Power to Tarantulak. Faux Feline creates a copy of Panferus, with G-Power equal to the Power Level the true Panferus currently holds!"

"Watch out for my tingling spider senses!" roared Nova, as a red bubble appeared around him and caused Dragonoid's fire attacks to ricochet off in haphazard directions. Another black wildcat then sprang into being, and began to attack Dragonoid together with his genuine counterpart as Nova forced his mother onto the ground, gritting his teeth all the while. 430G-Power was added to my Power Level, bringing the total to 1450.

"Ability—Activate!" Dad returned. "Render Even! This card banishes all supporting pieces from the card, removing them permanently from the match." A bright beam of blue light appeared and sucked both Panferus and his copy, along with Tarantulak and Vaeporo, into a dark black void above our heads. This fissure then closed up, and the Power Levels now stood at 980 for Dad, 420 for me. Nova's shield disappeared, and he was forced to duck awkwardly out of the way when Dragonoid shot a particularly fierce jet of fire at him.

"Gate Card—Open!" I ordered. "Shadow Swap!" The Gate flashed, the Power Levels switched, and Nova, being part Darkus, gained 100G-Power. I was now leading by 660. Nova dived through the air and ripped a three-foot tear in Dragonoid's left wing with his knives.

"Still not good enough, Phyra," my father called as Dragonoid, screaming with pain, was forced back into a ball. "I keep telling you that this is _not_ how you are to pass your test."

"What do you mean?" I demanded angrily, as Nova soared back into my hand. "We're winning, aren't we?"

"Yes, and at what cost?" Dad challenged me. "Look at what Nova is doing to his family!"

"_You_ were the one who decided to fight with them!" I retorted, growing more and more furious at his cryptic comments. "You were the one who said to battle you, and that's what I'm going to do, so stop antagonising me and throw out your next Bakugan!"

He gave no immediate reply, except to smile his unnerving smile and say after a moment, "If that is your desire, then may you have it, and see how it will serve you. Enhancer—Activate!" On his card, the second Alpha Turret, currently at ten percent, pulled in its satellites and began whirring and beeping. "Bakugan Brawl!" Dad announced, tossing the new Bakugan out next to the now-activated Alpha Turret. "Stand..."

Before he'd even started to get the words out, the Bakugan rose up on the card. I recognised it instantly as the dark wings unfurled, revealing gleaming black armour. One word seemed to brand itself into the centre of my mind. _Siege. _

"Stand, Darkus Arch Siege!" my father finished, while Siege flourished his lance-like staff and bored holes in me with dulled eyes. I didn't hear the shouted summons, nor did I see the Darkus Bakugan who stood before me. All I saw were faint memories of the time I'd spent with Siege—the ups and downs, the good days and bad. Several different layers of pain seemed to stab through my body all at once.

I was eventually jolted out of my trance by Nova, who spoke clearly across the Field to his opponent from where he sat in my hands. "So you're Siege, huh?" he said boldly. "Well," he continued, after seeing that he wasn't going to receive an answer, "it doesn't matter _who _you are, I'm going to vanquish you in combat. That right, Phyra?" Nova looked at me. "Phyra?" he repeated.

"You're absolutely right." I said, balling my hands into fists. "We're going to beat _both_ of you if that's what it takes to pass this test, to find the cores, get back to Starsector, save the Staryans and defeat Darcell and the Sektarii. Bakugan Brawl! Stand, Pyrus Assassin Dragonoid!" Nova appeared a third time, and he and Siege circled each other slowly in the air. "For the greater good," I said, looking at my old guardian, "I'm going to battle you, Siege." My eyes remained dry while I said this, but inside I felt as though someone had turned a tap on somewhere in my gut and left it running. I found myself wanting to bawl and spew simultaneously—a rather uncomfortable sensation, as it would happen. Siege, however, remained silent and foreboding.

"Brave words, Phyra," said my father in a hard voice. "Now, back them up. Double Supportive Ability—Activate! Charge Equate, plus Graveyard Summon! Charge Equate brings my Enhancer's charge level up (or down, as the case may be) to meet yours. Graveyard Summon allows me to bring to the battle any of my lost Bakugan that have a base Power Level equal to or less than that of my current battling Bakugan, so long as my Enhancer is at seventy percent power or less."

Delta was brought forth from where he'd lain on the ground to stand at the battle once more. Dad's total Power Level, factoring in both Bakugan and the Enhancer, now equalled 2400. Mine remained at 720. "Enhancer—Activate!" I said. "Come, Microgan, Pyrus Phasorak! Connect with Alpha Turret to form ultimate mode!" My bright red bat flew through the air and joined with my Alpha Turret, combining to create a massive android. "Ultimate Ability—Activate!" I continued. "Winged Flaming Phasor! Come join the battle, Alpha Turret!"

The enormous robot flew over to the Gate we now battled on, and my Power Level rose to 2230. Then both the opposing Bakugan lost 85G-Power each, taking Alpha Turret's enhancing effect into account, which lowered my father's Power Level to 2230. We were tied...until Nova landed a hit on the other Alpha Turret and knocked Dad's Power Level down by 50.

"The problem is, Phyra," Dad said tiredly, "you don't understand what it is you're meant to be doing here. Come, Microgan, Pyrus Phasorak! Engage ultimate mode!" A scarlet replica of the very Microgan I'd summoned a minute ago now flew down and brought the other Alpha Turret into a state just like mine. My father's Power Level went up to 2590. Then Siege and Delta launched synchronous hits on my Alpha Turret, and brought my Power Level down to 2090.

"What are you rabbiting on about?" I screamed. "You're not making any sense whatsoever! Supportive Ability—Activate! Form Change Fire!" My Enhancer's ever-decreasing Power Level froze where it was, and according to the icon on my BakuPod screen, it was now to be considered a Pyrus Bakugan for as long as I pleased. Then 150G-Power was added to my Power Level for each Pyrus-Attributed Bakugan and supporting piece on the card, bringing my Power Level to 3140.

"Don't fight the memories, Phyra." said Dad. "Ultimate Ability—Activate! Fire-Powered Hellbat Strike! This transfers 500G-Power across from your Power Level to mine. With the seventy percent charge level on my activated Alpha Turret, that's 850!" A raging fire swept through the Field, leaving all the combatants slightly singed. Dad was now leading by 1150.

"I don't see what you're saying to me," I said desperately. "First you _wanted _me to battle you, and now you're saying _don't _fight! What sort of convoluted bloody point are you trying to get across?"

"If you can't figure it out for yourself, Phyra," my father yelled angrily, "then you won't pass this test! Double Micro Ability—Activate! Winged Fury, plus Phasor Plus!" These added 250 and 200G-Power to Phasorak respectively, though with the Enhancer, that was a total of 740, so that the total difference in power now rested at 1890.

While Nova and my Alpha Turret launched a volley of attacks and brought Dad down another 100Gs, I thought about what he'd said. I had in my hand one last Ability card which had the potential to end the game. It was titled _Deadly Dragon_, and combined both Pyrus and Darkus. It halved my opponent's Power Level _and _sealed their Gate. If I used it, I would win the battle.

I slotted the card into my BakuPod, and flipped the activation switch. The keyword command was on the tip of my tongue, when out on the battlefield, Siege suddenly turned and looked at me. I saw the thrill of battle in his eyes, coupled with—sadness, and longing... Another onslaught of half-remembered events from years gone by assailed my mind. A time with Siege...but without Nova.

Then my father's words came back to me: _"Don't fight the memories..." _I think I realised, then, what he meant. And as yet another wave of recollection began, I _didn't_ fight it. I embraced it, revelled in it for a moment...and then I let it go. I lowered my hand and watched, unmoving, as Siege and Delta surged forward and knocked Nova to the ground.

"Sorry, partner," I said, as my guardian rolled across the floor to meet with my foot, "but we can't harm the lost any further. They're beyond our reach." And thus was the battle over.


	34. Chapter Thirty-Three: In the Shadows

**Chapter Thirty-Three – In the Shadows**

"Well done," my father said at last, as the Field collapsed and we were left staring at each other. "You've passed the test, you and Nova."

Nova said nothing, but I soon found my tongue again. "How are you here?" I asked sadly.

Dad smiled, and said gently, "You know I'm not. Not really."

"I understand, I guess." I said despondently. "You're not here. And Delta, Nova's mother, and Siege...they weren't here, either."

Dad shook his head slowly. "Illusions, Phyra." he said. "Memories, brought into being for the test. That was the whole point, you know. Don't get too attached to memories. Cherish them, learn to accept them, but don't spend your life dwelling on them so that you miss the magic of the here and now. Do you see?"

"Yes, I see," I replied heavily. "There's just one other question I'd like to put to you before you go."

"What is it?" came the reply.

"Can you help Nova and I with these mysteries that seem to plague us?" I asked. "How could I have known Hylar's last words? How did I kill Kyroah'rhas without even knowing what I was doing? Apollonir and the others said that they were all a part of the same question, and that this test would help us to find the answer. Do _you _know that answer?"

"I could tell you," said Dad, grinning slightly, "a great deal of stuff you wouldn't understand about just how closely you and Nova are bonded. It would seem like tommyrot to your ears, perhaps even slightly disturbing, and I think I am ill-suited to giving such a lecture. However," he added, seeing my face fall, "there _is _one aspect of this question I can shed some light on. This trance—did it link up at all to anything you had previously experienced?"

"Well, yes," I admitted. "I had a lot of visions like that when Nova was attempting to connect telepathically with me. Why?"

"You see, it's the Path, Phyra," he explained. "Fate. You and Nova were meant to connect, and the visions were meant to occur. Your subconscious mind retained the images Nova had unwittingly planted in your mind. When the Path had progressed sufficiently, Fate nudged those images into your waking mind, roused your sense of awareness and drove you up one of the hardest stretches. Recall what we teach, Phyra. There is no coincidence, there is no chance. There is only Fate, the Path...and us, walking it."

"So, it's all just a part of the story Fate is spinning, the tapestry of the world and our lives, the threads He weaves together," I said dully. "Thanks for that."

"Well," Dad smiled, "I _can _go ahead with the disturbing lecture about how you and Nova are bonded together in more ways than one, etc. etc., and practically do all but declare you husband and wife. Would you prefer that?"

"I bags being the husband." Nova said immediately.

"Um. No." I muttered darkly. "I'll take your word for it, Dad."

"In that case," my father beamed, "there's only one thing left to say: goodbye." He drew closer, and pulled me into a big hug. I was amazed at how real he seemed...until I felt myself grasping at nothing, and found that he'd vanished into thin air. Nova's mother, Delta and Siege were all gone, too, leaving only faint recollections behind them.

"That really_ was_ goodbye," I murmured at last, for want of something better to say. "Goodbye forever."

"And hello to the present," said Nova sensibly, sitting himself on my shoulder. "Now, about you calling me an idiot earlier..." He seemed remarkably composed, all things considered. Perhaps he just wasn't showing his feelings. Or perhaps he had learned his lesson quicker than I had. I shall never know, for he never told me. "...and by the same token," he continued with his lecture, "you have absolutely no right to call _me_ names when _you_..."

His words faded to nothing as the red beam that had first brought us here now surrounded us once more, and moments later, we found ourselves back in the Doom Dimension. I noticed that the lights on my BakuPod had died out again. Neither the Legendary Soldiers, nor Rebecca, nor any of the other Bakugan were anywhere to be seen.

"Um...this is bad." Nova stated.

"Quite." I said drily. "Well, I suppose we had better find the others, wherever they might be..." I was about to say more, when one of the Soldiers' voices suddenly happened to waft by like one of those obscure smells you get in the middle of the city that always seem so familiar, and yet are undefinable. "...Yes, I simply _adore _peanuts." it was saying. "Can't abide those silly cashew things, you know. Give me an _awful _stomach ache..."

We followed the voice for a while, and soon chanced upon the Legendary Soldiers, Rebecca and Preyas. They were all sitting in a circle around a stone table, chatting amicably about random things, sipping cups of tea, and stuffing themselves with scones. I was surprised also to see Dual Hydranoid and Platinum Centipoid present. "Hey, everyone," I said airily, as Nova and I approached. "What's up?"

Everyone all turned to look at me. "Nothing," said Rebecca, hastily swallowing a mouthful of scone. "You're all better?"

"Yeah," I said. "Turns out that World of Tests was rather...surprising. How, by the way, did you find Hydranoid and Centipoid?"

"We didn't," Rebecca shrugged. "They just rocked up a little while after you left."

"Nothing draws one in like that _tantalising_ tea smell." Hydranoid put in.

"Indeed," Rebecca agreed. "So we've just been having a nice, relaxing confabulation and afternoon tea and whatnot."

"Tell us, Hydranoid," I asked, as a thought occurred to me, "why did Kyroah'rhas abduct you?"

"No idea, really," Hydranoid said. "I suspect, though, that he thought the remnants of the Hydranoid line might be easier to turn to his cause than any other Bakugan he and the Sektarii captured during that last battle."

"I see," I said, before frowning suddenly as I realised who was missing. "What about Electro Cybertallion?"

"No sign of him." Rebecca replied sadly. "We'll just have to hope he's okay. Did you pass your test?"

"We jolly-well did," Nova said, with some satisfaction. "It was rough, but we met with success eventually." At first I was a little bit surprised at how he seemed to be able to talk of our traumatic experiences back in the World of Tests so calmly. When I'd thought about it for a moment, though, I supposed that really, the fact that we _had _passed must have meant that those memories weren't going to trouble us any more. I dearly hoped so, at least.

I realised then that Apollonir was speaking. "...And so, Novaakii," he was saying, "since you have well and truly proven to us all that you have what it takes for the task ahead, I will now disclose to you the first step to what you need to do." He took a step to the side and moved a nearby boulder out of the way, revealing a path of glowing red-orange stones. It gleamed sullenly in the purplish light about us like a road of fire, a great python twisting to and fro, burning as though with anger, perhaps at getting trodden on all the time, as paths are wont to be. "Follow that path." he said heavily. "It will lead you to the Bakugan who can tell you where to find the cores."

Nova nodded stiffly, then set off, beckoning for me and Rebecca to follow him. I glanced questioningly at the Legendary Soldiers and the other Bakugan, but they indicated mutely that they were content to stay where they were for the present, so we left them to what meagre pleasures scones and tea could present in as dreary a place as this.

We followed the path for quite some time. I don't quite know how long, exactly, since our watches were malfunctioning just as our BakuPods were, but it felt like hours. Eventually my eyes adjusted to the glare of the path below my feet, so I could more easily perceive what lay ahead of me: nothing but sheer, empty darkness, quite akin to that which we had first encountered on arriving. It looked as though all throughout the Doom Dimension there were pockets of blackness such as this, and we were about to wander right into the midst of it now.

"Looks like it's a-goin' to get dark soon, folks," Nova announced bracingly.

"We're not _blind_, you know, Nova." I said wearily. "We can see that for ourselves."

"That doesn't mean I can't say it _anyway_," Nova retorted. "I'm quite within my rights to speak freely, as it happens." I rolled my eyes and we proceeded on, soon to be enclosed by shadow on all sides. We would very soon have lost track of where we were going were it not for the continued gleaming of the red trail we followed, slicing through the blackness like a red-hot knife. A few petrified Bakugan were visible here and there, but only a few, and none still living—if indeed you could call it that.

During the walk, we began to amuse ourselves with 'Voldemort Eats Cats for Breakfast'. I think the best sentence we created was probably _Kvothe Kingkiller beat Mr Wilson's cat to a pulp because Voldemort's uncharacteristic benevolence randomly created a phantom version of Ambrose Jakis who possessed the feline and caused it to eat Kvothe's breakfast._

Thankfully, our wandering didn't last forever. A little while after the fun of the game began to pall, I squinted out at the blackness ahead and was slightly surprised to see a great multitude of pinpricks dotting the horizon: Bakugan eyes. Green, red, orange, yellow, blue, white and many other colours besides, they formed a twinkling, changing mass against the surrounding shadow—not banishing, but _piercing_ it, in many different places. "Bakugan ahoy!" I called, picking up my pace. The others glanced in the same general direction as me, and also began to hurry.

"I wonder which one is the one we're looking for..." Rebecca murmured behind me.

"Who cares?" I cried gaily. "Our job is almost done. I can _feel_ it!"

"Ho, _yuss_," Nova muttered sarcastically. "Whenever people say that kind of thing in films, the task invariably becomes ten times harder just to entertain the audience."

"Well," I returned, not looking at him, "this isn't a film, and there's no audience. So pipe down and keep moving."

* * *

It took perhaps ten or fifteen minutes to reach the crowd of Bakugan, but when we did, the three of us literally screeched to a halt in the middle of the path. I hadn't previously known that we Staryans or Bakugan were physically capable of doing such a thing, but apparently we were, because we did. We were looking at a large crowd of Pyrus Bakugan. All were standing motionless, staring at us silently, unblinkingly.

"I..." Nova began, but before he could say anything more, one Bakugan stepped out from among the rest, and fixed his dark red eyes on Nova with a gaze that would have been considered intense by most, and even ill-mannered by some. _"Novaakii."_ he said. His face was horribly disfigured, for he and all the others gathered with him had succumbed to the terrible decaying process that seemed to take firm hold of most Bakugan who stayed here too long. And yet we still recognised him. How could we not realise who this Bakugan was, this Delta Dragonoid who looked so much like Nova? It was Hylar, Nova's father.

"_H-Hylarai?" _Nova stuttered. _"Reshkis Hylarai?"_

Hylar blinked twice, started to move forward, then checked suddenly and said, _"Novaakii, tanta dashvlarken...okteth."_

Nova suddenly broke into a huge smile in spite of himself, and darted forward to sweep Hylar into a tight embrace. "I thought..." he said in a choked voice, not noticing that he had switched back from Vexinite to Reimish, "I thought I'd never see you again."

"Nor I you," answered Hylar, pulling away slightly as he surveyed his son, eyes darkening even further, almost to black. "Have you...learned anything in my absence?"

Nova's eyes began to glisten with unshed tears. "More than you could ever begin to imagine," he whispered.

"Yeah, like what I look like naked," I interjected, spoiling the moment as usual. "Remember that time you accidentally walked in on me when I was in the shower? That was _definitely _not—"

I trailed off as Nova glared at me. "I thought we agreed to keep that under wraps," he said out of the corner of his mouth, eyeing Rebecca. "_Especially _in front of the ladies."

"Whoops," I said softly. "My bad. I forgot."

"Ummm..." said Hylar. "Not to sound rude or anything, but we really don't need to be hearing this. I sense, Novaakii, that you have come here for a reason."

"Many reasons, now," Nova said, becoming serious again. "The first of which is, I need to tell you all how very sorry I am for, well...everything. I wish with all my heart that I could go back and somehow right the wrong I did everybody by running away, or at least ensure that you and all the others who were lost in the War had _solestia _placed in the Hall of Souls, but...as it is, I can only beg you to accept my most heartfelt apologies."

There was silence for a minute, then a Pyrus Warius who looked aged and shrivelled spoke up. "I understand, Novaakii," he said quietly, "and I believe I'd have acted no differently, were I in your position. We are only mortals, you and I. So I forgive you." After a moment, there came a chorus of assent from all the other Bakugan. Well, _almost_ all. One of the smaller ones took the opportunity to remind the Warius that he wasn't actually a mortal any more, since this was technically the afterlife, but he was shouted down by a number of others who told him to shut up and get a life. "How _can _I," said he, plaintively, "when I'm _dead? _Answer me _that_, would you?" No one bothered to comply.

"I have a question," I said tentatively after a moment, fixing my gaze on Hylar. When he nodded for me to continue, I asked him the same question I had asked my own father in the World of Tests—at least that part of which that concerned Hylar's last words. I figured that if there were anyone who could solve that segment of the question, it would be Hylar himself.

Hylar gave me an understanding look and said, "Well, if you were in Pyrus Space at the time, then the answer may well be simple. You see, I had a soul-piece, as you might know, and it ought to have been placed in the Hall of Souls, with the others. As you can see, however, I am here, in the Doom Dimension. That is because—"

"Someone stole it." I finished. "I know who it was, but there's no use trying to exact retribution on him for such a fiendish act. He's already dead."

"Never mind that," Hylar pushed aside my interruption. "The point is, is it at all possible that the theft of the soul-piece might have taken place while you were in Pyrus Space?" I thought about this for a minute, and then nodded, not seeing where this was going. "In that case," Hylar went on, "the answer is fairly clear. Soul-pieces are very unusual objects, with all kinds of hidden properties. One such property is the ability to link telepathically with nearby minds, and transmit fragmented memories of the soul-piece's owner through the link to the other minds. The closer the mind of the target to that of the owner, the more powerful the connection and consequently the clearer and more plentiful the shared memories.

"Now, I do not imagine that the mind of a fully-grown Pyrus Bakugan and that of a young Staryan would be too much alike, and thus you only saw a tiny fragment of my recollections—by chance, or Fate if you prefer, the last words I ever spoke to my son while we both lived. A most peculiar roll of the die, I must say, but a fortunate one nevertheless."

"Thank you," I said gratefully. "It's nice to know that I've not gone bonkers, anyway."

"You _have _gone bonkers." Nova said quietly to me, as behind us the littlest Pyrus piped up again, and a fully-fledged argument began to break out amongst the others. Then Nova faced his father and added, "Thank you for your message on the rocks of Ventus Space. With your help and Lars Lion's, I was able to help perform the Doublenode Ritual with five others and use the power of the Legendary Soldiers to win our recent battle with the Sektarii, back in Starsector."

"It was all I could do," Hylar replied, smiling a bit, "to help you after the War ended." Nova began to reply, then stopped, seemingly unable to get the words out. I decided to give him some time alone with his people and so, motioning to Rebecca to come with me, I set off in another direction, saying to Nova that we'd meet him back at the Soldiers' clearing.

"Where are we going?" Rebecca asked, as the voices of the still-arguing Pyrus Bakugan died away in the distance.

"Somewhere. Anywhere." I said, shrugging.

"Are we looking for something, or what?" she prompted.

"Someone." I answered shortly. She didn't ask me to elaborate, and I didn't bother confessing to her my secret hope—that somewhere in this wasteland, I might find Siege, and get to talk to him one last time. Yes, I didn't feel sad about his loss so much any more, but seeing his image during the test had reminded me of just how much I wanted to say a proper goodbye. It was a vain, silly little hope, really...but it was there all the same.

We continued on down the glistening road, and eventually emerged out of the darkness once more. We wandered for a while, but came across no one, nothing other than more stone corpses. Presently, we fell to talking about various things. Then suddenly, Rebecca hit on a topic which contained a surprise or two for me—and no, it had nothing at all to do with the facts of life. "You know," she said, "I was the one who helped you, Jack and Mikael escape from Kyroah'rhas's _palladium_ all those years ago, after...after Kyroah'rhas killed Siege."

"Really?" I said, stunned. "How? And...why?"

"I don't really know why." Rebecca admitted. "I guess something you said got to me._ All your fault._ That really made me think twice about what I'd done, about the choices I'd made when I thought I had no say in my own life. I decided that I'd try to make amends with you someday, if I could. Once I'd made that decision, it was simple stuff, actually." She made a non-committal gesture and went on. "All I did was turn off all the cameras and tune in the television in the guards' quarters to _SpongeBob_. After a few bottles, they were all sitting around, laughing, drinking and watching that maniacal yellow sponge work his magic... It was kind of pathetic, really."

"These guards..." I said. "They were those Staryans who kidnapped me, right? Whatever happened to them?"

"No clue," Rebecca said. "When Kyroah'rhas found out that you'd escaped and taken his collection of Pyrus Abilities with you, he worked himself up into such a rage, he stormed in and smashed the TV. It was a rental, too... Anyway, I could hear him yelling at the guards from all the way up in the main chamber, he was so loud. I didn't see them again. I suppose he must have fired them—or executed them..."

"Let's hope it's the former." I said darkly.

"Indeed," she agreed. "I wouldn't want to be responsible for their deaths, even if it _was _for a good reason. Or at least a better reason than my being in a mood to randomly kill people left, right and centre."

"Well, you know how the saying goes, _All is fair in love and war_." I quoted with a grin.

"Wocka wocka." Rebecca shot back drily. "Very funny."

"Just look at it this way," I said, turning serious. "If you _hadn't _done what you did, the rescue attempt Jack and Mikael made would most likely have failed, which means I'd be dead right now. That put things in perspective?"

"I suppose so," she admitted, before frowning and saying, "though on the other hand, being here in the Doom Dimension isn't much better than being dead. I should think it would be worse, actually."

"You don't _know_ that," I admonished. "No one ever said that the Doom Dimension was the eternal demise of all _Staryans_."

"Yes," said Rebecca, "but that's likely to be because _we're_ the first Staryans to come here."

"That doesn't make our doom the veritable truth," I insisted. "Let's say that we've got about...a point-five percent chance of survival, and call it quits." I received no reply to this, and so we kept going. Presently, a quiet, murmuring noise began to sound through the air.

"Are those...voices?" Rebecca wondered, stopping to listen.

I strained to hear better, and a susurrus of trickling whispers reached my ears. "I think they _are_," I said. "Shall we proceed to analyse this peculiar phenomenon?"

"Your scientist effect does not impress me." Rebecca said flatly. "But yes, let's go." We took off at a run, trying our best to detect the location the voices were issuing from. After a few minutes of going around in circles, we stopped, and I came up with a better plan. It was simple, but genius. I marvelled at how I hadn't thought of it before now.

"HOI!" I screamed. "WOULD WHOEVER IS MAKING THAT SUSURRUS OF TRICKLING WHISPERS KINDLY SPEAK UP A BIT?"

"Oh, well done," Rebecca said quietly. "Brilliant plan, just brilliant."

"I know," I simpered. "I'm so amazing."

Rebecca did not deign to reply, but soon I heard an answering voice address my call. "WHADDAYA WANT?!" it yelled.

"That's our direction," I said hastily to Rebecca, pointing. I then replied to the voice with a shout, saying, "UM, JUST STAY WHERE YOU ARE FOR A MOMENT, OKAY? WE WANT TO TALK TO YOU...WHOEVER YOU ARE!" The voice made a noise of general acquiescence, and we hurried off to see who we were talking to. Soon enough, I could make out a huge black shape ahead. It was a Bakugan, half-hidden in the shadows, and as we came nearer, I could see from the few small, gleaming purple patches about its form that it was Darkus.

I was about to call out again and verify that this was, in fact, who we'd been hearing, when suddenly the Bakugan turned to me, showing clear, unblinking eyes...and then it unfolded a pair of huge, black wings. I lost all trace of reason and bolted forward wildly, an unspoken cry of joy on my lips.


	35. Chapter Thirty-Four: Nine and Five

**Chapter Thirty-Four – Nine and Five**

"Siege!" I yelled at last, as I drew level with him. "I found you!" Siege looked at me a minute, then moved forward into better light. And I saw that it wasn't Siege at all. It was Darkus Thunder Skyress. "W-what?" I gasped, jaw dropping. "_Skyress? _But...but I thought..."

"DO YOU WISH TO CHALLENGE ME, LITTLE STARYAN?" Skyress screeched, banishing any doubts I had left.

"Sorry," I mumbled, while behind me I heard Rebecca catch up. "My mistake. Now I feel like a total nigel..."

"Phyra, what was—?" Rebecca began, then stopped short as she, too, caught sight of Skyress. "Skyress?" she said in disbelief. "How'd _you _get down here?"

Skyress shuffled even closer, and we saw that she, like nearly all the Bakugan we'd seen so far, was showing some definite signs of wear and tear. Her feathers were ragged and torn, her eyes were dull, and most of her armour had rusted away. One or two of her ribs were showing through what remained of her breastplate.

"IWASTHROWNAWAYBYMYFRICKINGDAMNEDSOCALLEDMASTERWHO APPARENTLYHATEDMEALLALONGANDNOWIHATEHIMTOOANDIDON' TKNOWWHYALLTHISHAPPENEDANDDOYOUWANTTOCHALLENGEMENO W!?" Skyress screamed very quickly.

"Look," I said firmly, "we don't want to challenge you. We were just wondering what the deal was with the susurrus of trickling whispers."

Skyress suddenly seemed to change. Her general lacklustre appearance vanished and vitality began to return to her frail old body. "I met someone," she giggled, "who was _so _charming, he was composing lovely poetry about my general appeal and beauty and eyes and such, and whispering it to me that only my ears might receive it!"

"_Que?" _I asked helplessly. Skyress moved over, and out from behind a rock came... "Electro Cybertallion!" I shmarkled. "Where have you been?"

"I have," Cybertallion began, speaking for the first time since I'd had him in a low, mechanical voice, "been talking to _this _pretty young lady."

"But...so why were you hiding?" I questioned him, perplexed. He just shrugged, seized Skyress around the waist, and dragged her back behind the boulder with him. After a moment, the susurrus of trickling whispers started up again. "Um," I said to Rebecca. "I am definitely not interested in finding out what's going on behind there. Shall we go?"

"We shall," Rebecca agreed. And we did.

* * *

After a while, Rebecca asked me the question I'd been dreading. "So...what was all that about back there?" she queried.

"I..." I started to speak, then wondered what I was going to say. "I made a mistake, and now I feel kind of...empty."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Rebecca asked, sounding concerned.

I shook my head. "I'll get over it." I said. "I've been getting over it for years. I'll be fine." She nodded, and fell quiet, which wasn't really the reaction I'd been expecting. But I didn't mind, and we went on in silence for a way. We saw a lot of petrified Bakugan corpses about the place, but none living, and nothing interesting happened, unless you count the time I decided to throw a rock into the air, and it came down and knocked my hair off-centre.

As I was carefully smoothing my halo of spikes back into place, I became aware that I had started monologuing on a topic I knew nothing about: lingerie. "...And so," I was saying, "Bob comes up to me and says, _I bet if you weren't so uppity, you'd have the decency to strut about in bloomers like the rest of us, and furthermore_...wait, what am I talking about?"

"The intimate apparel of those of the supposedly fairer sex." Rebecca stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh," I said, blushing. "How long have I been doing that, exactly?"

"About fifteen minutes. It was fascinating."

"How much did you listen to?" I asked incredulously.

A malicious smile suddenly appeared on Rebecca's face, making her look rather out of character. "_All _of it." she said in a creepy tone that I found myself disliking. I decided not to pursue the subject, and changed the track of conversation entirely.

"Loss." I said. "It seems like such a big part of our lives, doesn't it?"

"Yes," Rebecca replied, dropping the dislikeable creepy tone. "It does, when you think about it."

"And yet..." I continued, "it's not just loss, is it? There's finding, too. Finding friends, like you, and Nova, and Mikael, and Apollonir, and all the Bakugan Kate and I met in our travels... Life isn't _all _loss, then, I suppose." Before Rebecca could reply, someone in the distance screamed something about tea. I recognised the voice as belonging to Exedra, and realised we must have followed the path in a wide circle.

"Come on then, Mr Philosophical," Rebecca smiled. "Let's go and see what the calamity is." I cracked a grin in response, and we began to run again.

* * *

When we at last reached the clearing, we found the place in uproar. Everyone seemed to be yelling at Exedra, who was by this time quite hoarse with yelling back. Nova had returned ahead of us, I saw, and even _he _was joining in. "What's all the hubbub!?" I screamed, flapping my arms about as I tried to restore some order.

"Exedra drank all the tea!" Frosche complained, turning to me. "The rest of us sent him to collect some more tea leaves, and what do you think the great glutton did? He fricking turned all our beautiful, pulchritudinous tea leaves into tea, and then _drank _it all!"

"Well, I _told _you it wasn't my turn to get the tea leaves!" Exedra grizzled. "That's what you get!"

"_You _drew the short straw," Apollonir growled, "so _you _got the job!"

"Yeah, you fat pig." Lars Lion muttered.

"You people," I sighed, shaking my head, "are nuts. Completely nuts."

"Technically," Clayf said, "we're not people. We're Bakugan."

"You're still nuts." I pointed out.

Clayf eyed the ground and thought about this for a moment, then looked up and smiled. "Yes," he said, "I suppose we are."

* * *

After the noise eventually quieted, and Exedra had gone off to sulk in a corner, Nova was able to tell Rebecca and I what he'd learned from the Pyrus Bakugan. "My father told me," he said, "that we would find the two cores in the very centre of the Doom Dimension. However, he also mentioned that they are being guarded."

"Did he know who or what the guards were?" I asked.

"No," answered Nova. "He didn't get close enough to the cores to see more than their silhouettes before they started firing on him. He did say, however, that there were nine of them."

"Nine, huh?" I said. "Well, so long as they don't ride black horses, I doubt they'll provide too much of a challenge to us—particularly if we go as a group. Hydranoid, Centipoid and Preyas, will you be coming?"

The three Bakugan glanced at each other a moment, then nodded. "MWRAK!" Preyas squeaked enthusiastically.

"And you, Legendary Soldiers, will you accompany us?" Nova questioned.

"Well," said Lars Lion, "we _would_,only we're going to be a bit busy just now, looking for more tea leaves and stuff, thanks to this twerp." She shot a glare at Exedra, who scowled back under his mask."So, um, yeah. Catch you later."

"Farewell for the moment, Novaakii," Apollonir added. "See us once more when you've unlocked the cores. I'll teach you how to make a dimension portal."

"I will," said Nova, nodding. We left the Soldiers a second time. As I turned away and began walking, followed by my friends, I thought I heard Apollonir say to Lars Lion, "You know, we really should try to maintain some semblance of formality around the youngsters. Speaking on the same level as them is only going to undermine our stature."

"Yeah?" Lars Lion replied. "Well, let me tell _you_,Apollonir, I have been talking formally for fricking _centuries_, and I'm getting rather tired of it. So I have two words for you, bro: chill out." At this, another argument began to arise. I smiled faintly.

* * *

Soon enough, Nova proposed that he and Preyas fly ahead for a bit, and see if they could spot our destination anywhere. The rest of us speedily agreed, and so the two of them spread their wings and took to the skies. We walked on below, trying not to glance for too long at the great multitudes of dead and dying Bakugan peppered about the place, either rotting visibly or else stationary and hardened to grey stone, cold as ice.

Nova muttered something to Preyas up above, then sped up as high as he could, until he was no more than a vague red dot in the sky. Meanwhile, Preyas hovered for a bit, glanced around, then flew in a low, wide spiral around us. He got gradually further away as his flight arced into a circle so wide, it would doubtless have put the Large Hadron Collider to shame. If something like the Large Hadron Collider was actually capable of feeling shame, that is.

By and by, Nova called out suddenly. "I see them!" he cried.

"The cores?" I yelled back.

"No, the string of coffee shops down the lane, half-wit!" he replied, sounding vaguely irritated.

"Ooh, huzzah! _Coffee shops!_" I squealed joyously to the others, before calling again. "Can you pinpoint their exact whereabouts?"

"I was being sarcastic!" he screamed.

"Well, I stole your face!" I quoted in reply. He landed, face-palming, and we called Preyas back.

"What did the cores look like?" Rebecca asked.

"Two pinpricks in the distance," said Nova breathlessly. "One gold, one silvery-white. In _that _direction." He pointed his foreclaw vaguely at the unending stretch of dappled, purple light ahead of us.

"So, what about the centre of the Doom Dimension?" Hydranoid queried. "Is there anything special about it?"

"No," said Nova. "It's just like the rest of the dimension, only...central, I guess."

"Great," I said acidly.

* * *

It was a long, uneventful journey, but we eventually made it to the cores. When we did, we stopped and stared at the sight before us. Situated on the top of a wide, low hill were two immense spheres, emitting an aura of limitless power, of perfect, pristine balance. Infinity, the flawless golden globe, from whence came all positive energy that had fuelled Vestroia for centuries, and Silence, the unmitigated silver orb that emanated all the negative energy ever to be found in the Bakugan dimension, which saps the excess energy from the worlds and prevents over-dosages from causing harm.

"_Thus the Twin Cores spin 'round each other, o'er the six Attributes,_" Nova recited, "_and as the positive energy giveth, so the negative energy taketh away, hence balance is e'er maintained in Vestroia 'til the Attributes part, and the energy dies, and darkness taketh the worlds._"

"What's that from, Nova?" I wondered.

"Oh, just a very long piece of prose some nutter wrote about Vestroia when the worlds were young." Nova shrugged. "Nothing important."

"Ca-ca-ca-ca-kireeeee!" Preyas added, in a warped bird mimicry of some description.

"What are _you _supposed to be, a kookaburra?" Hydranoid demanded.

"Galah, more like." Nova muttered. "He's stupid enough to be one."

"That's not nice." Rebecca frowned.

"Get used to it, lady." Nova troll-grinned. "I can be a right royal pain in the arse when I put my mind to it."

"That's nothing to be proud of." I pointed out.

"It is if I say it is."

"It is not."

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Is TOO."

"Is NOT."

"IS TOO!"

"IS N—"

"OI!" a call interrupted us. "WHO GOES THERE?"

"Er...hang on," I shouted back, "Be right with you! Quick," I added _sotto voce_, "who will we say we are?"

"Magazine researchers?" Nova suggested.

"Nah, too suspicious." I said.

"How about exterior decorators?" Hydranoid proposed.

"I don't think those exist..." I said doubtfully.

"Minerth?" Centipoid tried, lisping a bit as his mouth worked uncertainly around the words. "We could thay we were looking for thingth to mine down here—gold and thilver and jewelth and thtuff."

"But we don't have any pickaxes or anything." I objected.

"Burble-urble?" Preyas squeaked.

"I don't even know what that means." I said testily.

"What about lost tourists?" Rebecca said. "We could pretend our BakuPods are cameras or something..."

"Well," I said, "that sounds like the best idea so far. We'll do it." I conveniently ignored Nova's pointed questions as to why I myselfhadn't come up with any suggestions (he ought to have known that as leader, my job was to look awesome and act on _other_ people's ideas, not actually come up with the plan), and finally called back to the voice. "We're tourists!" I yelled. "We got lost, and took a wrong portal somewhere! Could you give us some directions, please?"

There was silence at the other end, save for the very faint sound of multiple voices muttering in conference. Then, a few minutes later, the call resounded again in reply. "Alright then," it said. "Come on over!"

I fist-pumped, then beckoned to Nova and the others, and together we walked up the hill. Soon enough, nine figures became visible, dark against the gleaming cores behind them. They were Bakugan undoubtedly, but just who they were remained a mystery until, just as we came to about halfway up the hillside, the mysterious guards themselves strode down to us. The light adjusted so we could see them better, and I soon realised that four were Darkus, and one Bakugan of each other Attribute made up the remaining five.

Then, as they came within a stone's throw of us, I recognised the foremost four, the Darkus Bakugan, and then the collective identities of each Bakugan within the group were a mystery no longer. "Nine..." I whispered. "Of _course._" Behind me, a ripple of murmuring broke out amongst my companions as they, too, realised who we were looking at. I heard Nova swearing softly in Vexinite.

Pyrus Spatterix, the fiery quadruple-winged warrior. Subterra Stronk, the ferocious reptilian golem. Ventus Worton, the wise tendril-bearing alien creature. Aquos Ballista, the vicious frilled amphibian. Haos Tremblar, the silent crablike beast. And Darkus Betadron, Kodokor, Mutabrid and Fury: the demonic eight-winged terror, the horned insectile beast, the boggle-eyed mutated menace and the skeletal reaper-like horror. "The Nonets." I murmured. "_The Group of Nine_."

All stood silently, emitting an aura of long-felt enmity, and _all _were ready for battle with wings spread, claws gleaming, tendrils waving, explosive shells armed, and tails twitching. "What business have you here?" Fury asked, scythe-like wings clicking as he took a step forward. "You, in company of one who descends from he who banished us—the original Dragonoid, Genesis. Why do you enter our realm?" He glared at Nova, who said boldly, "We told you. We're tourists."

"Oh," Fury mumbled. "Yeah...sort of forgot that bit." He motioned to his eight companions. "My comrades and I would be happy enough to point you in the direction you're headed," he said, in tones slightly less hostile, "so long as you stray no more into our territory. Come, then. Where do you wish to go?"

"Well," said Nova, playing innocent, "we're looking for the Infinity and Silent Cores. Have you seen them?"

Fury's expression darkened at this. "No one comes near the cores but me and my fellows," he said roughly. "Begone."

"What authority have you," Nova retorted hotly, abandoning all pretence, "to keep others away from this place? _You_ are not the rightful guardians of the cores. The seven pigeons are."

"That is no business of yours, son of the Accursed One." Fury snapped. "Now, leave, or else you'll be liable to have a battle on your hands. We Nonets have grown rather resentful of the wrong Genesis Dragonoid did us so long ago, and anyone who reminds us of that blackguard's face would be prudent not to arouse our wrath, lest they cop the full blast of our lust for vengeance."

"If it's a _fight_ you ragtag and bobtail want," Nova snarled, drawing his blades, "it's a fight you'll get."

Fury leered, and at his signal, the rest of the Nonets all flung themselves on Nova at once, growling and slashing at him with their deadly assortment of weapons. "Hey!" I yelled angrily. "Eight against one isn't a fair fight, you fiend! Tell your lackeys to leave off and fight Nova yourself!"

"Life in and of itself is no fair fight, boy." Fury said bitterly. "The sooner you come to terms with that, the better off you'll be." I spat something highly abusive back at him, and had just pulled an Ability out of my pocket in readiness to fight back, when out of nowhere, five white lights appeared in the sky above us. They drew close enough to bathe us all in a dazzling silvery glow, and then as the rest of the Nonets momentarily stopped their fighting to look up in bewilderment, a chorus of familiar cries reached our ears...

"Derp!" "Herp!" "Settle, petal!" "And he scores!" "Neverluvvaduckkagain!"

"Oh, great," I said, face-palming wearily. "It's the ornithic peanut gallery, come once again."

"Problem?" Elahparii chirped, coming down to land on my shoulder and just about blinding me with his intense luminescence.

"Did that pigeon just say something other than _derp_?" Nova wondered, emerging briefly from underneath the pile of Nonets, who were still gawking at the five pigeon guardians hovering overhead.

I didn't want to answer, but Rebecca helpfully replied, "Yes, Nova. It did."

"How extraordinary." Nova murmured, a split second before the Nonets on top of him recovered their senses and continued to bash him up. A large cloud of dust arose from the ground, completely concealing the combatants so that all could be seen of them were occasional glimpses of the odd appendage here and there. It struck me, as I held up my Ability card, as being rather a queer, cartoonish, even _comical_ sight. But laughter was more or less out of the question at the moment, so I kept my mouth shut and focused on the card I was holding. A thought occurred to me before I activated it, however, and I pulled a Gate out of my pocket.

"Gate Card—Set!" I shouted. The small grey rectangle flew down and expanded out under the dust cloud, before fading into the ground. "Ability—Activate!" I then added. "Inferno Strike!" Fire rained down from the firmament, and energy was transferred from each of the Nonets to Nova. For his part, Nova gave a great, warbling war cry, and released a fierce wave of fire from inside himself, which swept the Nonets away like leaves in a sudden storm.

Fury gave a scream of rage, and darted in my direction, slicing viciously with his claws. He would probably have decapitated me had Sausage not suddenly sprung between the two of us, and fired a concentrated blast of energy at the crazed Nonet's midriff. Fury was flung backwards, landing in the dust with a dull _thud_.

Sausage, however, was also thrown back by the force of his attack, and smacked into my eye unexpectedly. _"Ouch!" _I said emphatically. "That _really _hurt, Sausage!" I peeled him off me as pain blossomed across my face. He flopped to the ground with another, smaller _thud. _Then he picked himself up, cocked his head and said, "Derp."

As if spurred on by a silent trumpet of war, our company then sprang into action. Nova spread his wings and pushed hard off the ground, flying a few metres over the rest of the Nonets, who were still picking themselves up, looking disoriented. He then drew his knives and dragged one set sharply across the edges of the other, creating a shower of sparks which rained down on the shrieking Nonets, stinging and burning mercilessly wherever they hit exposed flesh.

Hydranoid and Centipoid threw themselves ardently into the fray. Hydranoid was soon tearing with tooth and claw, and lashing his two tails back and forth into his foes. Centipoid was weaving nimbly in and out of the mass of bodies, delivering a well-aimed nip with his pincers to any enemy vulnerable points he met. Preyas looked from our company to theirs, then screeched "BLAM!" and unfolded his white, feathered wings before springing up to join Nova, shooting gusts of wind and beams of sunlight alternately at our adversaries.

Rebecca and I did our fair share too, she keeping up a steady stream of Haos and Ventus Abilities activated to help Preyas along, and I activating various Darkus and Pyrus cards from my own collection to assist the other three Bakugan by turns. As the Nonets fought back whole-heartedly, Sausage and the other pigeons also joined in and began to battle by our side, emitting flashes of gold and silver light as they drew upon the energy stored inside the cores to help them fight.

"DERP!" screeched Elahparii, known also as Sausage, firing a blast of gold at Kodokor and knocking the insectile beast to the ground.

"HERP!" hooted Eliruii, formerly referred to as Spot, sending a wave of silver fire out at Stronk and Ballista, causing them to dive awkwardly out of the way. Stronk caught some of it on his tail, and let out a roar of pain, but Ballista remained unscathed.

"SETTLE, PETAL!" cheeped Elirbagii, alias Alfred, shooting a burst of super-charged golden lightning at Spatterix and Mutabrid, and rendering them temporarily senseless as they crumpled to the ground before her.

"ANNNNDDD...WHAT A SLAM-DUNK!" screamed Elugarii, aka Pumpkin, sweeping Worton and Betadron off their feet with a rush of kinetically converted energy, then causing them to bash violently into each other before falling in a limp heap onto the rocky floor underfoot.

"NEVERLUVVADUCKKAGAIN!" Elinahii, known better as Paschal, insanely twittered, firing beams of silver from his eyes at Tremblar and Fury, searing the latter badly enough to make him scream, and causing the former's hazardous shell to explode suddenly, so that everyone still standing now pinwheeled awkwardly to the ground as though hit by a bus made entirely of hot air.

The majority of us began to clamber to our feet after a moment, and I appraised the damage. Hydranoid seemed to be having trouble with his left forearm, and several more of his teeth were missing. Preyas' wings had a great deal less feathers than before, and his right thigh sported a nasty gash on it where Kodokor had sliced through it with his claws. Centipoid was out of it completely, and was lying, half-crushed on the ground, feelers still twitching feebly.

Rebecca looked okay, but was pale and shaking. I myself could feel my left eye starting to close up where Sausage had hit me. Nova, on the other hand, was worse off than the rest of our side. His wings seemed alright, as he'd kept them furled tightly while the Nonets had been piling on him, but the rest of his body was bruised and battered, and he'd amassed a startling collection of cuts and grazes of differing sizes and depths. The Nonets, meanwhile, were wounded to varying degrees, but all were able to stand up on their feet again after a few moments, leading me to realise that they were tougher than they seemed.

Both sides stared at each other for a moment, pondering these new developments, when Fury began to laugh—a dull, guttural chuckle, cynical and entirely without mirth. "Foolish, petty children," he jeered. "You thought yourselves able to defeat _us_, the mighty Nonets? Nay, too long have we nurtured our hatred against the accursed judge, the worm underfoot, and all his kindred. Thousands of years have we remained here in this desolate place because of him, and yet hark! We are immune to the Doom Energy! Our power is not sapped, nor our bodies turned to stone! Victory, vengeance against the last living of his line shall be our compensation for his injustice, and nary a whit of ludicrous, empty bravado will stand in the way of us receiving our just reward for our patience! Thus I say to you, Brawler, and your motley _dramatis personae_ of Bakugan and pigeons also: give us the Pyrus Dragonoid, and perhaps we'll let the rest of you live."

"You're out of your demented minds," I snapped, "and furthermore, I think you don't have any clue whatsoever what _dramatis personae_ means, so quit with the old trick of using random foreign phrases to _give an air of culture and elegance_, as George Orwell would have it. Either back down now and let us get to the cores, or else we'll beat the living daylights out of you. What say you to that, mate?"

Fury sniggered. "Alrighty, you overconfident little infant," he growled. "It is your wish to play as the big boys do? Be it so, then."

"I'm actually eighteen, you git." I muttered, but no one heard except for Nova, who accused me of talking to myself again. Before I could make an awesome comeback to this prejudiced and ill-informed statement, however, Fury was without warning enveloped by darkness, which drew itself in around him like a cloud. It then seemed to grow harder, more solid...and then his voice issued forth from within, not sounding muffled, but loud and resonating through the air: _"SLITHR BLAKKA!"_

The hardened darkness exploded, sending shards of shadowy debris zipping through the air towards us. As it was forthcoming in my direction, it changed suddenly into vapour and seemed to seep inside me, through my mouth, my nose, my ears and the pores of my skin. I felt a heavy drowsiness settle over me. Even as I struggled to shake it off, I found myself slumping into an awkward sitting position on the ground, unable to move. I sensed Rebecca undergo a similar change of awareness and fall down beside me. One by one, Nova, Preyas and Hydranoid also fell dormant, slipping into a semi-conscious stupor and dropping onto the dark, dusty ground in a confused, inert heap.

Out of the corner of my good eye, I noticed that oddly, Sausage and the other pigeons didn't seem to be affected by this strange black fog. Perhaps it was the perfect energy inside them, shielding them from evil. I didn't know, but all I could do was watch as Sausage rallied the other pigeons into a formation and wheeled around to face the Nonets, who stood shoulder to shoulder and glared back at the pigeons. And thus it was that these opposing sides readied themselves for the final stage of the battle. Two groups, that of nine and that of five. The false guardians and the true. And who could say for certain which would prevail?

Before anyone could do anything further, the ground underneath the pigeons and the Nonets suddenly began to glow with a piercing, brilliant white light. _What? _I thought sluggishly, before seeing what shape the light was taking, and realising at last what was going on.

The light patch was forming a shining white rectangle. My Gate Card had opened automatically.

_Power Merge, _I recited inwardly, with as much satisfaction as my condition would allow. _Enables each Bakugan on your side to absorb 100G-Power from each of your opponent's Bakugan. With such vast numbers of Bakugan on the battlefield as these, that means each pigeon gains 900G-Power, while each Nonet loses 500. The resultant difference in Power Levels would be a spectacular 9000Gs. Add that to the fact that the Nonets were likely weaker at base level than the pigeons in the first place...and you've got a stunning victory on your hands._

No sooner had I arrived at this conclusion than I realised that the power transferral had already taken place, and the five pigeons were laying into the Nonets like a pack of ornithic bulldozers. In less than a few minutes, Fury had given a wild retreat signal, and the pack of faux guardians had took off running, howling and screeching empty threats of vengeance as they went.

I then saw Sausage come towards me, and perch on my knee. Before I could attempt to tell him to get off me, he seemed suddenly to shine brighter than before, and I felt my consciousness being fully restored as positive energy flowed into my body. "Th-thanks," I stammered, ignoring the tingling in my limbs as feeling returned to them, "but shouldn't we go after the Nonets?"

"Derp," said Sausage mournfully, shaking his head. I noticed my friends receiving similar alleviation from the rest of the pigeons. Nova gave a long moan of relief as the various cuts and scratches he'd accumulated during the battle now healed up.

"Why not?" I asked. Sausage's only reply was to jab his beak meaningfully in the direction of the cores. "Ah," I sighed. "Of course. We mustn't lose track of why we're here. Thanks again, Sausage, for all the help which you, Dixie and the others have given us. I promise that if we ever get back to Starsector and Dixie's still alive, I'll do everything in my power to help her get back to you five." Sausage fluted more cheerfully than before, then flew over to assist Centipoid, who was still looked poorly. "Come on, Nova," I called, standing up. "The cores are accessible now, and we've a job to do. You ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Nova grunted, also heaving himself upright. "Let's do this." I watched as he stood before the two cores, looking rather majestic as their golden-silver glow bathed his slender form in a soft, glistening light. He bowed his head in concentration and murmured something to himself which sounded like a plea, almost a prayer... He looked up, green eyes burning, and shrieked the command words to what sounded like an Ability, though it was one I'd never heard of. _"KEY TO THE CORES—ACTIVATE!"_ he screamed, throwing his arms out as if to draw the cores into an embrace.

At first, nothing happened. Then suddenly, a perfect white light seemed to emerge from _within_ Nova, seeping out from millions of tiny little seams and crevasses in his skin which I had never seen before, appearing to split his body into a thousand, thousand pieces. This light contracted into a long, narrow beam which flew forward, split into two rays and pieced both cores simultaneously, drawing their power back along and into Nova's heart.

The rest of us looked away one by one, even the pigeons, as with every passing second the light issuing from Nova's profile grew unbearably brighter. After five minutes, I could feel the heat emanating from the energy around him, and it felt like I was standing in front of an open hearth full of red-hot coals. And still there was no sign of the energy transfer giving pause, or even slowing down. On the contrary, the flow of power seemed to be quickening. I was almost starting to worry that Nova wouldn't be able to hold all the energy in, when there came a flash brighter than all the others, completely blocking him out of my line of sight, before forcing me and the others backwards to the ground like a raging hurricane.

I lay on the ground for a moment, staring. I wasn't sure what had happened, whether or not the situation was good or bad, or what had happened to Nova...but for some reason my lack of knowledge didn't give me any feelings of insecurity, or compel me to get up and try to reconcile my fears. Rather, I simply felt a somewhat detached tenseness in the air which at first seemed bewildering, but not for long, and not enough to prevent me from eventually working it out. We were waiting. I knew not for what, whether it was for someone to appear, or something to happen...but nonetheless, wait we did, and presently, our patience paid off.

Something in the light changed. It became richer, brighter...more fiery, like the glow of a blazing bonfire but a hundred times more powerful. I sat up slowly, and saw Nova again. He was gazing upwards, completely transfixed. The beam of light connecting him to the cores had vanished. I, too, looked up and saw what it was that Nova was staring at: a dark, winged outline descending swiftly down to us from the glaring heavens. Who or what was this newcomer? I couldn't tell. As it drew nearer, I could see it was a dragon, much like any Dragonoid. But it didn't look like any of the specific Dragonoid evolutions I'd seen before.

The dragon landed and faced us from such a point that the light around us revealed his features, rather than throwing them into shadow, and we got our first good look at him. He was tall, slim—though having a strong, supple musculature—and possessed of noble bearing. His armour was a shade of silvery-white that contrasted strikingly with his dark red scales, and was highlighted in a rich, dark gold. His tail was long and slender, and was tipped with three golden spikes which formed an appendage something like an ornate spearhead. His wings were huge, and segmented into three sections each. He wore a huge, golden cross on his chest, in the centre of which was set a large, diamond-shaped ruby* coloured like dark blood.

This dragon looked around at us, and then faced Nova. _"Novaakii," _he said. _"Carriatries et artes."_

Nova's jaw dropped. _"Drakkus Genesai?" _he gasped._ "Estes tu?"_

The other nodded, and then abruptly switched to another language—neither Reimish nor Vexinite nor any other Bakugan speech I'd ever heard. The bizarre thing was, even though I'd never heard it before in my life, I soon found myself understanding fragmented parts of it with no effort at all.

"I heard _tar_ request, _Noivako_," this dragon said in the new language. "Thus have I come _est tae._"

"My lord..." Nova faltered, also making the lingual swith. "Genesis Dragonoid...is it _reastie tae_, my king?"

"It is I." Genesis Dragonoid smiled.

*_This dragon's form was based on Blitz Dragonoid as seen in the anime, for various reasons. However, this dragon bears a ruby rather than the green Perfect Core gem since Drago, from the anime, is the only known Bakugan to possess such a gem. In like manner, Nova's Neo and Lumino Dragonoid forms also had a ruby rather than a Perfect Core gem. _

**A/N:** In case any of you were wondering, yes, the Bakugan "languages" in this story are all just random gobbledegook and not based on anything in particular. I was too lazy to pull a J.R.R. Tolkein and invent several entire structured languages. The only reason I even went this far was because I thought it was silly that all the Bakugan just _happen_ to speak English in the anime.


	36. Chapter Thirty-Five: Dragons

**Chapter Thirty-Five – Dragons of the Beginning, the End, Hate and Righteous Anger **

Nova immediately took a step forward, and it felt suddenly like the rest of my friends and I had been transported to a spot hundreds of miles away, and a glass screen had been put between us and the two dragons. Their forms and their voices seemed at once to be far, far away as Nova dropped to one knee and bowed his head, bringing his right hand to his heart.

"Long have I waited _fo tes memnent,_ _Noivako_," said Genesis Dragonoid, crouching so that he and Nova were eye to eye. "I have been waiting _fo_ _tas_ _memnent_ you might acknowledge _tar_ true _desstent,_ _unt_ call upon _mets,_ _tar_ _anshaent patari. Wet Ai_ wish to know _iz nos tae_ have chosen _this _moment of all moments: the time _tae_ choose to _akativatest tar_ true powers _et_ _lastas_."

Nova's voice trembled as he spoke. "I don't know," he said, "but I _do _know a _tarabelli, bolody_ battle lies ahead of _mets_, and I _woodesh askath_ _tar_ counsel, my king."

Genesis Dragonoid's manner grew more serious, and he stood, motioning for Nova to do the same. "That is well," he said. "There are _tresa thanesg tae_ must know. _Unes: _both _tae_ and _Nyatsalaya wikket bae _stronger when _neest_ _tae _meet. _Deptuo: daint ba _afraid _tui embrakest tar destinestae. Tresa: _I will _reshteurnth witehs e _gift _fo tae._

Nova nodded slowly, apparently pondering the meaning of these words. Then Genesis Dragonoid looked around at us all for a minute. "Be at peace, all of you," he said, changing now to Reimish. "Not everyone in your party is doomed to stay here forever." He then spread his wings, and prepared to take off.

"Hold on," I said suddenly, feeling very indignant. "If you could bloody-well speak Reimish the whole time, then why bother rabbiting on in that other weird language? Why cut the rest of us out of the action?"

"Because," Genesis Dragonoid said wisely, "I'm awesome. And you're not." With that, he was gone, leaving us all speechless. The fiery light faded, and we found ourselves all standing back on top of the hill. The two cores were still there, though both were notably fainter in brilliance.

"What a _polyglot!_" I uttered at last.

"Derp." said Sausage. I half-expected Genesis Dragonoid to return instantly and say _Excuse me, but did that pigeon just say_ derp_?_, but he didn't.

"Well," said Nova, "that's that, I gue-YAAAARRGGGHHH!"

"Nova!" I yelled in alarm. "What's going on?"

"The power!" Nova roared. "It's tearing me apart from the inside! It's burning me up!" His body was shining again, this time so much so that I could hear his flesh sizzling as the searing light seeped out of his pores...and then he spread his wings with a scream and shot up into the sky, looking for all the world like a reddish-whitish comet. There was a great flash of light which illuminated the whole of the Doom Dimension temporarily, and then...nothing. We stood and stared up at the spot where Nova had vanished for several minutes, but nothing more came.

"Nova?" I gaped. "Where did he...go?"

"I'm here," a voice spoke out from behind the lot of us.

As one, we turned and saw... "You're not Nova." I said, confused.

"I am," said the Bakugan I was looking at.

I blinked. This Bakugan had Nova's voice. This Bakugan had Nova's eyes. This Bakugan had Nova's Pyrus Attribute... But this Bakugan was most certainly not Nova. "I don't get it," I insisted. "Why do you say you're Nova? I know what Nova looks like..."

"No you don't." the Bakugan returned lazily, unfolding three spectacular sets of wings. Each wing was red, but highlighted in one of six different colours. "You don't know what Nova looks like...any more." He flicked his extremely long, barbed, whip-like tail with an air of calm certainty.

"I..." I murmured, seeing the light suddenly. "You don't mean...?"

"I do," grinned the Bakugan. "I'm Nova, I tell you...but I'm not how you used to know me, for I have evolved once again. No longer am I Pyrus Assassin Dragonoid. I am Pyrus Galactic Dragonoid, master of all the six Attributes, and wielder of the twin cores of Infinity and Silence. I am Pyrus Galactic Dragonoid, descended from Genesis Dragonoid and Apollonir. But most of all..." He looked directly into my eyes, his green irises boring into mine with a fierce intensity I had never seen them hold before. "Most of all," he repeated, voice strong with anger and determination, "I am Pyrus Galactic Dragonoid, who will triumph over the Sektarii, gain victory against Darcell, and forever end their evil as I will undo mine own."

There was an impressive silence at these bold words, and then... "Hip, hip, hippy, hooray." Sausage uttered dully, saying something other than _derp_ for a second time.

"Did that pigeon...?" Nova began, losing his impressive aura at once.

"Belt up," I interrupted. "Just _belt _up."

* * *

The journey back to the Soldiers' clearing was both swift and short. Nova's new strength allowed him to fly those of us who didn't have wings over the distance without even breaking into a sweat. I was still coming to terms with the fact that he'd evolved even further, but his basic personality remained the same, and as the others began to crack jokes, I started to grow used to the look of his new body, with its six wings and double-length spiny tail.

Said tail was extremely flexible, and had an ornately ordered _thagomizer_ on the end. Each of his wing-tips was covered in a different intricate pattern of neon-like lines, outlining the symbol for one of the six Attributes. These represented how he could now use any Attributed Abilities he wanted: a yellow flame with a triangle in it for Pyrus, a gold star set into a ring for Haos, a purple skull-like device for Darkus, an orange double-ended hammer crossed with a shield for Subterra, a dark green symbol like an anchor and a fishing net for Ventus, and a light blue emblem like a shuriken for Aquos. His small, flexible form was now slower and heavier, but on the other hand stronger, and with more durable armour. He even had a totally ripped chest, complete with impressive six-pack. Add that to the fact that his huge wings enabled him to become a truly masterful flier, and I'd say you didn't have such a bad trade-off.

"Okay, okay," Nova was saying, "see how many of you can guess _this _one: why did the chicken cross the road?"

"To get to the other side." everyone else droned wearily.

"You've heard it before." Nova muttered.

"Um, so," I changed the subject. "What was that odd language you and Genesis Dragonoid were speaking?"

"I haven't the foggiest," Nova said brightly, doing an airy loop-the-loop, "but I certainly spoke it like a pro, didn't I?"

"Never mind that," I said. "What were the two of you talking about? I, for one, could only understand about half of what you were saying. I suspect I wasn't the only one, either."

"Yeah," said Hydranoid. "Most of the rest of us only picked up the odd word."

"Well, essentially," Nova said, "I asked for his advice, once the formalities were over, and he told me three things. Firstly, both I and Darcell will be stronger the next time we meet. Secondly, I mustn't be afraid to embrace my destiny...whatever _that_ may be—"

"Why, defeating Darcell, of course." I said grandly. "What of the third?"

"Thirdly, he said something about a gift—but I'm not entirely certain what he meant on that point."

"I'm sure you'll find out," Rebecca said blithely from her seat behind me. "Anyway, that all sounds great. Let's hurry and get back to Starsector now, shall we?"

"Derp." said Sausage.

"I can hear the Legendary Soldiers." Hydranoid called. "They're dead ahead!" The rest of us listened, and we could hear soon enough the sounds of Lars Lion and Apollonir _still _arguing. The rest of the Soldiers had finished finding more tea leaves and were now gathered around, watching blandly as the show continued.

"...And let me tell you one more thing, mister!" Lars Lion was screeching. "I ain't gonna take no crap from _nobody! _D'ya hear!?"

"Why," I demanded, as we landed and I slid off Nova's back, "are you people so immature? Surely you ought to be a bit more solemn and serious after all you've been through, and with all that you know! Why, then, do you insist on being so childish and weird and, well, quite frankly, _corny?_"

"Well," said Lars Lion, stepping away from Apollonir, "it's just that—oh, hello, Novaakii. You've evolved. Nice six-pack. Anyway, the thing is—I had a vision shortly after I saw you and your friends in Haos Space for a second time, which showed me that I and the other Soldiers would one day lose our sense of humour."

Apollonir shuddered. "Imagine that!" he said gloomily. "Stuck down here forever, and not even the occasional laugh to keep us company!"

"Exactly!" Lars Lion impressed. "So we decided at once that we'd better have as much fun as possible—while we still can."

"Good call," I approved. "The best of luck to you with that, then. Now, Apollonir, you said that you'd help Nova to make a portal out of here?"

"Yup," Apollonir answered. "C'mon, Novaakii. That is, assuming you don't lack the requisite spine and testicular fortitude to study under me?" Nova seemed about to give a heated reply, but was cut off as Apollonir beckoned, and the two of them left the clearing.

"I wonder what they're going to talk about?" Rebecca wondered as the tip of Nova's great, spiked tail vanished around the corner.

At that moment, the sound of distant, riotous laughter echoed around the clearing. "I don't think we want to know." I said ominously.

"An excellent observation," Rebecca said after a moment's thought.

There was an awkward silence. "So, um, yeah," Lars Lion asked at last. "What happened to y'all? How'd Novaakii evolve? He looks totally hot, now, with a six-pack and everything."

"As a matter of fact," I said, pointedly disregarding the last part of her comment, "the journey started out pretty boring..." I told her and the others all about how we'd found the cores, and fought the Nonets. I told of how Nova had used his key, and Genesis Dragonoid had appeared, and then I spoke about how Nova had disappeared and reappeared as Galactic Dragonoid.

"That's quite some tale," Clayf said thoughtfully, once I'd finished.

"Indubitably," I said, "but there's one thing still bothering me. What form of speech was Genesis Dragonoid using? How could we understand it—or some if it, at least—when we'd never heard it before?"

"Ah," said Exedra, who had by this time stopped sulking over the tea leaves. "Well, that's easy if you're a _learned _individual." He paused a moment to share a snigger with his companions. Writing about it now, I get the feeling that he was patronising me. "Anyway," he continued, "the language is called the LANGUAG_E_ Language. Accent on the last _E _of the first word, following a hard _G_. From this language, the very first of all languages, sprang all the other more modern languages. The reason for this is that Code Eve, who was the one to create this LANGUAG_E _Language, claimed copyright on it later and told everyone to bugger off and invent their own languages.

"The thing was, though, that no one was skilled enough to actually invent a whole new language out of thin air, so all known languages ended up being merely poor imitations of the first. In this way, all languages, no matter how they have evolved over the centuries, are related, not only to the LANGUAG_E _Language, but also to each other. That is why you could understand more familiar segments of the conversation Genesis Dragonoid had with Novaakii. I dunno what he thinks he was playing at, violating Code Eve's copyright, but it's none of _my_ affair, I suppose."

"In this way, also," added Frosche, "Bakugan can understand Reimish, for it is related to our own tongues. Our knowledge of your native speech was halting at first, but over time Reimish became familiar enough for us to speak it ourselves. I speak, of course, for myself and the other Soldiers. We then passed it on to our descendants on our rare visits to those few places in Vestroia where we can still go. I suppose it spread. I don't know about all the Bakugan who travelled through the rift, though."

"Well," I said thoughtfully, "not all Bakugan talk—at least at first—in Starsector. Perhaps those are the Bakugan who are still coming to terms with the ins and outs of our language, whereas the talking Bakugan are those who have been around Staryans long enough to figure it all out. I never thought of that...but if that's the case," I added, as I was struck by another question, "why can't _we _understand any of _your_ Bakugan dialects? No offence, but they all sound like gibberish to me."

"Ah," Clayf interjected knowledgeably, "but consider, Phyra, how much of them have you heard, collectively? How long have you been around Bakugan who still speak their own native tongue?"

I considered the question for a minute. "Not long," I admitted at last. "I suppose that explains it."

Clayf nodded, and was about to add something highly profound, when Nova and Apollonir suddenly appeared again. "Ehh...what's up, Doc?" Nova said lazily.

"Back already?" I asked in surprise. "That was quick."

"I'm an _epic_ student." Nova explained.

"Huh," Apollonir snorted. "More like you had an epic _teacher._"

"Are you calling me a bad student?" Nova demanded. "Do you doubt my epicness, the epicness of my six-pack?"

"Now, don't stand on your dignity, but—"

"I'll sock _anyone_ who says my six-pack is anything less than epic."

"Tough guy, huh?"

"Loser."

"Twerp."

"Foolish, flabby old curmudgeon."

"Hot-headed scrawny youth."

"Doddering pile of—"

"Alright, enough argy-bargy!" I screamed, covering my ears. "We've got a dimension to be rescuing!"

Nova and Apollonir looked at each other. "Fine," said Apollonir, holding out a hand. "Let's iron out our differences."

"Well said, old chap," Nova approved, shaking Apollonir's hand. "Jolly good show."

"Yes indeed it _was_, rather, eh what?"

"Quite. Also a good old scrap, I declare."

"I say! I was thinking quite the same _thing_, by Jove! The exact same sentiment to the letter. How simply fascinating!"

"Most delightfully mysterious, eh, old chum?"

"It never ends." I said mournfully, as Nova and Apollonir continued to shake each other's hands pompously and enthusiastically, pumping out posh old expressions as they did so. Eventually, however, they ran out of classy things to say, and I hinted that now would be a good time to get going.

"Okay," panted Nova, who had talked himself quite blue in the face. "Just...give me a minute." He caught his breath, while I waited and tapped my foot on the ground. "Alright," he said irritably after a moment, seeing my impatience. "I'm ready."

"Now," called Apollonir, "remember what I taught you, Novaakii, and make the portal! Since you now have the power of the cores protecting you, you will no longer be bound by the curse of the Doom Dimension."

"What of the others?" Nova asked, pausing momentarily in his preparation.

"Rebecca and Phyra are Staryans, not Bakugan." said Oberus, who had been very quiet up until now. "The Doom Energy cannot touch them."

"Hydranoid and Centipoid?" Nova pressed sharply. "Preyas? Cybertallion and Skyress? Cycloid?"

It was Apollonir who replied, his voice heavy with sadness. "The eternal demise of _all _Bakugan, Novaakii." he said quietly. "Except for you. Even the _pigeons_ cannot escape the Doom Energy's clutches forever."

Nova's tail drooped, and I felt an unpleasant jolting sensation in the pit of my stomach. The other Bakugan would have to stay in this miserable place forever? How could that _be?_ I felt especially guilty since it had been me who had brought them into this mess in the first place, one way or another. Beside me, Rebecca began to tremble as she looked at Preyas. She had already lost all her family, and now she was about to lose her guardian, too. Preyas, for his part, didn't look that sad at all. "BONG-BOOM." he gonged. "Tink tink tink...tinkle!"

"He's right," said Oberus gently. "Don't look so sad, little one. One day, we Soldiers hope to regain the larger part of our former powers once we've sat here and rested long enough, recharging our cells. If we ever manage this, we will be certain to use our powers to try and release as many Bakugan from here as possible."

"We'll be okay," Hydranoid added, as Centipoid nodded his agreement. Rebecca nodded slowly, and gave a weak smile.

"Besides," Clayf added bracingly, "we've got plenty of tea leaves to go around, now."

"HOW CAN YOU BE SO UNSYMPATHETIC, YOU JERK!?" Oberus screeched, elbowing him.

"I was just trying to put a bold face on things," Clayf murmured sullenly, rubbing his stomach. In spite of myself, I began to softly hum the first few verses of 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life'. I stopped, though, when Nova announced that he was about to open the portal.

"So get _on _with it!" I yelled. "We've been waiting fricking forever!"

"I _am _getting on with it, bossy-boots!" Nova retorted, before blasting a jet of multicoloured flame from his mouth, aiming it high up at the sky.

"My boots aren't bossy, you bloody idiot." I muttered sulkily, as the fire began to apparently melt a huge hole in the air.

"I 'EARD 'AT!" Nova shouted back at me through a mouthful of fire. I ignored him, and when all was done, a gaping chasm in the sky was visible through which we saw only blackness, as was distinctive of Doom Portals in general. At Nova's signal, Rebecca and I climbed up onto his back, and then we took off into the sky, waving and calling out our last goodbyes to the Bakugan below us.

I thought I saw tears falling from where Rebecca sat just in front of me, but I didn't judge her for it. I had wept on plenty of occasions in my own lifetime, and while it's hard to lose someone as I had lost Siege, it's infinitely harder to make the conscious decision to leave that someone behind in a place where their life will stretch on in endless misery, and know you can't do anything to help, nor will you ever see them again.

I felt for Rebecca's hand and gave it a squeeze, mutely letting her know that I had some inkling of what she was going through. She gave me a brief smile, and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "He understands," I said quietly. "You know Preyas. He's always happy, no matter what."

She nodded. "I wonder how he does it?" she said, voice wavering unsteadily.

"I don't know," I said while we passed through the portal, transitioning from purplish light to utter blackness once more, "but I think we should try and learn something from him."

"Thanks," she replied quietly. As we rose up through darkness, fast as we had once fallen, I felt her arm wrap around me in a hug, though I couldn't see it. It felt somewhat curious to be touched by a disembodied hand, kind of like hugging a ghost. Curiouser and curiouser was the thought that I was actually encircled in a woman's embrace—a situation I didn't often find myself in. Nonetheless, it made me feel a little happier, and I returned it for a bit while we continued to fly on.

"I sense," Nova's voice came from somewhere ahead, lowered to a deep and impressive bass tone, "that the two of you are engaged in the practise widely known as canoodling—and on my own _back_, no less. How very _interesting..._"

"You creepy old gypsy woman." I muttered, and Rebecca and I let go of each other at once.

* * *

With Nova's determination fuelling him onwards and upwards, it didn't take more than about half an hour to finally reach the end of the portal. I was feeling dizzy and disoriented as we burst through the opening and into the light, but not so much that I couldn't half-climb half-fall off of Nova and, after helping Rebecca down like the polite gentleman I occasionally enjoyed impersonating, look around me to see what the situation was.

We were standing once again in Inner Space, the large, round chamber. Its walls around us glittered eerily. After spending quite some time in darkness, it took a few minutes for us to grow accustomed once more to the golden sunlight filtering into the chamber. When we did, we found that the energy field had gone, and the army of Sektarii seemed to have disappeared.

At first, somewhere in the midst of the confused mess that was my mind at present, I thought that the place was empty. Then I looked behind me, and found myself staring straight into the gleaming eyes of the Chief Sektarus. _"Hello." _he said, folding his arms. I was only just able to refrain from taking several steps backwards. Then I glanced up and saw what was standing _behind _the Chief Sektarus: a huge, towering monster the likes of which I'd never seen before. Or had I?

_That's _it. I thought numbly after a moment. _That's the beast from the mosaic floor I saw back at Kyroah'rhas's _palladium_. The five-headed dragon. _

It did indeed have five heads. And five tails. And five sets of leathery, black, bat-like wings. And, get this, five six-packs. How does that even _work? _It wasn't until the middle head had snaked forward on its long neck to meet my eye, however, that I recognised it. With his great scar above the left temple, who could mistake him? It was Darcell.

"You've..." I began.

"Evolved, yes, to my ultimate natural form..." Darcell hissed. "And I see I'm not the only one." His two right heads fixed themselves on Nova, who glared back icily.

"Firstly," I quoted, remembering what Genesis Dragonoid had said, "both you and Darcell will be stronger the next time you meet."

"Quite," purred Darcell, "but I'm still _far_ superior, for I am darkness exalted. Not to mention I have five times the amount of six-packs _you_ do, Novaakii."

"Yeah?" growled Nova. "I beg to differ. How'd you do it, anyway?"

Darcell gave a long, low chuckle. "If I can do it once," he said simply, "I can do it again." His far-left tail shifted slightly, and revealed what we had missed at first: a mess of blood and scattered white feathers, massed around a charred, broken skeleton. _Dixie!_ I screamed inwardly, eyes widening in shock. _Oh, Dixie, what have I done?_

As Rebecca and I stared, stricken, at Dixie's broken corpse, Nova moved forward until his burning green eyes were inches away from Darcell's central pair of cold, flickering red eyes. "Why did you do it?" he growled, deliberately averting his gaze from what remained of our extraordinary pigeon friend.

"I beg your pardon?" snapped Darcell.

"Why did you _kill_ her!?" Nova shouted angrily. "She was just a pigeon, you heartless demon! Why'd you go and murder her?"

Darcell looked long and hard at Nova for a moment. His only immediate response to this outburst was to blink twice. "Well, for _one _thing," he said at last, "she wasn't _just _a pigeon. She was both the most powerful and the most extraordinary pigeon I had ever come across. Besides, _she _started the fight that led to her downfall, not _I._"

"That _doesn't_ grant you the right to kill her!" Nova snarled.

"So what?" Darcell mocked. "Who are _you _to play the judge, Novaakii? Your _own_ guilt is not rendered any less for all your wild accusations against _me_."

"THE WAR HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS, DARCELL!" Nova roared, balling his hands into fists as he tried to keep his mounting rage under control. "We're not talking about the past, we're talking about the _present_, about why you murdered Dixie!"

"Because I _had_ to!" Darcell screamed back. "If killing that stupid pigeon was the price of power, then so be it! I must strive to be worthy of my five six-packs!" He broke off, breathing heavily as his five sets of eyes fixed on Nova with all the venom and hatred he had built up over a century of failure and imprisonment, and lack of five six-packs. For several long minutes, all that could be heard in the still, quiet atmosphere was the sound of my own heart thumping. Tension seemed to crackle through the air like electricity—or worse.

As I stood there, I thought the sight before me seemed rather frightening. Two dragons, one filled with hate, the other with righteous anger, standing dead-still, each waiting for the other to make a move. Finally, Darcell spoke again—quieter this time, but in tones that trembled with each surge of wrath that rushed through his nightmarish body. "I have forged the path to greatness, the way to the boundless power of the two cores, the road to supreme musculature," he snarled, "and I'll be _damned_ if I let a pigeon, or those pathetic Staryans, or my hapless underling, or even you, Novaakii, prevent me from gaining that which I seek!"

Darcell then threw himself at Nova without warning. Nova spread his wings and jumped hastily out of the way. Darcell crashed heavily into the wall before landing gracelessly, sprawling in a splay-legged heap onto the ground. As Nova remained hovering in the air, out of reach, Darcell got up, turned himself around, and then unfurled his wings prior to springing again at Nova, who dodged the attack once more. Darcell roared in frustration and launched a stream of dark fire at Nova, who shot back a jet of his own red-white flames.

The two fiery currents met in mid-air, ricochetting off of each other and into the walls of Inner Space around us, sending smaller fireballs raining down towards the ground. Nova landed and extended his claws, before springing over to Darcell and clawing roughly at the Darkus Bakugan's neck. "So, what is it you seek, then?" grunted Nova, as the two Bakugan began to tussle. "Why do you need the power of the cores, anyway? Is not your own natural strength enough for you?"

"My reasons are nothing you need to concern yourself with, Novaakii," Darcell spat, shaking Nova off him and throwing the Pyrus dragon to the floor. "All I want from you right now is the Key to the Cores." He bent over and began to tear into Nova's underbelly, causing Nova to scream out in pain.

"Phyra, _do _something!" Rebecca yelled at me urgently.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm on it." I said hastily, pawing through my pockets to try and find some ammunition for my gun. It seemed that on returning to Starsector, our BakuPods were conveniently working again. I hadn't got far, however, when I felt a rough, scaly hand close firmly over my wrist. On looking up, I realised that I'd been seized by none other than the Chief Sektarus himself. "What's your beef, mate?" I demanded angrily of the hideous creature leering at me. "Can't you see I'm busy trying to save the world?"

"_Um, yeah," _the Chief Sektarus said, almost apologetically. _"I do not think that isss sssuch a good idea. Petty heroesss and heroinesss don't fare too well when they go againssst the Sssupreme Darknesss'sss plansss." _With that, he dashed my hand brutally into the wall once, twice, three times, denting my BakuPod severely. Little sparks jumped from it, and I saw that the blaster had been damaged beyond usage.

"That," I said to the Chief Sektarus, narrowing my eyes as I massaged my hand, "was _not _cool at all. Or kind. Or thoughtful. Or considerate."

"_I know, I know," _sighed the Chief Sektarus, _"I'm sssinful and naughty and violent and ssself-centred and painful. But that'sss the way of the world, boy. Live with it." _I glared at him, and was about to do something to make myself look really awesome when there was a dull _thud_, and he fell to the ground. Behind him, I saw Rebecca put down the massive rock she'd used to bash him savagely on the head.

"Yeah," she said casually, seeing that I was gobsmacked with astonishment. "I just figured I'd do something to make myself look really awesome. So, yeah, I just did."

"Good job," I managed to get out, "but now..." I fully recovered my powers of speech, and a cocksure grin bubbled onto my face. "Now it's my turn." I stated in my best Deliverer-of-Dramatic-One-Liners voice. Behind us, Nova yelled something about how he was dying and would we please hurry up with our plan of domination, whatever it was. "He always has to ruin the moment," I grumbled, reaching into my deck of cards. "Right, here goes. Gate Card—Set!"

A tiny card flew over and settled itself underneath Nova and Darcell, who were still grappling with and tearing at each other, before swelling to its normal huge proportions and then fading into the rocky floor. "Gate Card—Open!" I cried, raising a hand. Nova and Darcell paused just long enough to look questioningly at me before the ground beneath them appeared be consumed by a brilliant white light.

"So, er, what Gate did you use?" I heard Rebecca ask me, as the light grew brighter and blocked out all vision of everything else.

"Um, there wasn't time to rifle through my deck," I said cheerfully, "so I have no idea. I'm sure it's grand, though. My cards are _always _grand."

It might just have been a trick my ears were playing on me, or the sound of Nova and Darcell still fighting up ahead, but I thought I heard Rebecca let out a groan.

As the light finally died down, I could descry an enormous barrier stretched out between Nova and Darcell, keeping them well away from each other whilst simultaneously forming a perimeter around the borders of the Gate Card, which meant they were effectively fixed in one spot. "Ah," I heaved a sigh of relief, as the text on the card shone piercing white. "Battle Hold. Keeps the combatants from fighting each other, and blocks enemy Abilities for a period of time."

Nova and Darcell turned to fix me with their stares, the former looking confused, the latter resentful. "So what now, then?" Nova called uncertainly.

"Now, you give me the Key or face my wrath!" Darcell snarled back at Nova. "I had intended to wait until the Doom Energy had weakened you sufficiently before I came after you and took it, but now you've saved me the trip, I mean to have it from you as you are, six-pack or no!"

"Over my dead body." Nova shot back.

"If you insist, Novaakii." Darcell said, with the hint of a chuckle.

"Like hell," I snorted, capturing the attention of both Bakugan again. "Since this isn't an official battle, and there are no other Bakugan present, the Gate won't close until I tell it to. You're both essentially my prisoners."

"I _demand_ that you release me!" Darcell bellowed. "You cannot keep me sealed in this accursed trap of yours forever! If you do not let me out immediately, I promise you that I will hunt you down and destroy you the _minute_ I break free!"

"Calm _down_," Nova said sharply. "We're neither of us going anywhere soon, so drink a can of concrete and harden up, cupcake. Suppose we sit down and talk about this rationally. You might explain yourself, tell us why you saw the need to start the War, the need to go after the cores, the need to kill off Dixie and Ferdinand, and the need to force me into allowing my family to be slaughtered!" Nova's voice had grown louder as he spoke, and he was practically shouting now.

"Cease your lies, Novaakii." Darcell scoffed. "I didn't _force _you to do anything. Abandoning the rest of the Pyrus Bakugan to their miserable fate was your own weak, selfish choice, and deep down inside, you know that as well as I."

"IT WAS A CHOICE I WOULDN'T HAVE MADE WERE IT NOT FOR YOUR _GREED_, DARCELL!" Nova shrieked.

Darcell just sniggered at seeing Nova chuck another wobbly. Seeing that the two Bakugan were only going to keep riling each other up, I decided to step in and see if I could resolve things myself. "Nova's right, Darcell," I called. "Why don't you tell us what this has all been about, and maybe we can work out the root of the problem, nice and simple?"

"How about," Darcell responded rudely, "you come over and snog each and every one of my five arse-cracks?"

"That sounds utterly disturbing." Rebecca muttered.

"No joking," I remarked drily, before adding, "discourtesy will get you nowhere, Darcell, in spite of your five six-packs (and arse-cracks). Try and remember who's got the upper-hand right now."

"Oh sure," Darcell said, smirking suddenly. "_I_ remember...it's _me._"

I was about to ask what he meant, when I felt an arm wrap tightly around my throat, cutting off the flow of oxygen to my lungs. I heard a choked noise behind me as the same thing happened to Rebecca. _Evidently, _I thought, struggling fruitlessly to get free, _the Chief Sektarus wasn't as unconscious as he seemed. _

"Now," growled Darcell, "call off this exceedingly vexing snare of yours so I can go about my business and kill that pathetic Dragonoid over there, or else you and your pretty little friend will die."

My only response was to splutter at him. _"You heard what the bosss sssaid, Ssstaryan," _the Chief Sektarus snickered. _"Get on with it and deactivate the Gate Card." _

Before I could make any sort of attempt to reply, Nova's voice—soft but reverberant—rang through the room. "I've a better idea," he said hollowly, addressing Darcell. "I'll fight you. If I win, you tell me what I want to know. If I lose..." Nova's voice threatened to crack here, but he managed somehow to remain strong. "If I lose," he repeated, "I'll give you the Key to the Cores, whether it kills me or not. Do you accept?"

"Why should I?" Darcell snapped.

"Because," Nova said evenly, "let's face it, you're not going to get the Key from me _without _a fight of some sort. Suppose instead of relying on petty abduction and dimensional imprisonment to decide the victor, we settle this the _right _way, the way Bakugan have settled disputes since we were created: on the battlefield."

Darcell thought this over carefully for several minutes. Then he laughed nastily. "If that's the only way you'll have it, Novaakii," he said with an unpleasant grin, "then so be it. Be warned, though. I know Kung Fu. You'd be quite within reason if you went so far as to say that I'm literally the Dragon Warrior."

"Ah, crap." muttered Nova. "I didn't know _that_."

Darcell continued to grin. "Excellence at martial arts is one of my lesser-known skills," he said modestly, before turning to address the Chief Sektarus. "Let them go," he ordered shortly, "but call in someone to look after the girl. You and the other will oversee the battle."

"_Of courssse, Missster Sssupreme Darknesss, sssir, Your Eminence," _hissed the Chief Sektarus, bowing and scraping a moment before uttering a sharp whistle. Rebecca and I were released, just as another Sektarus hurried into the room, saluting first to his chief, and then to Darcell. _"Hold onto thisss charming young woman," _the Chief Sektarus said curtly to his underling, _"while the Sssupreme Darknesss and I finish up sssome unpleasssant busssinesss here."_

"_Of courssse, Missster Chief Sssektarusss, sssir, Your Eminence," _rasped the Sektarus, bowing and scraping a moment before hastening over towards Rebecca. I wondered briefly if all Sektarii acted before their superiors in this manner. Meanwhile, the Sektarus seemed unable to figure out where to hold Rebecca. At any rate, he was apparently unwilling to touch her too eagerly lest he offend her in some way. Rebecca rolled her eyes and offered her arm to the Sektarus. He took hold of it gratefully and broke into a silly smile before leading her into the tunnel entrance—the one that led down to the chamber Nova had been imprisoned in prior to our descent into the Doom Dimension.

"How absolutely _sickening_," I said disgustedly in an undertone, before activating my BakuPod (not without some difficulty, of course), and listening as Nova's voice sounded again. "We're ready when you are, Phyra." he called. "Shut down the Gate...now!"

"Gate Card—Close!" I commanded, making a gesture with my hand as though pressing down on the air. Gate, text and barriers alike vanished, and the two Bakugan voluntarily changed to ball form. As Nova flew into my hand, I turned to the Chief Sektarus and asked stiffly, "What rules are we to play by?"

"_One Bakugan only,"_ the Chief Sektarus answered, narrowing his eyes. _"Sssupporting piecesss will be allowed, but no cardsss other than the three conventional Abilitiesss and the optional Fusssion Ability. There will only be one Gate Card: mine."_

"Fine," I said truculently. "Nova doesn't need home advantage to beat the pants off you anyway."

"Yeah," Nova agreed. "However, there _is _something I _do _need, Phyra."

"And what might that be?" I inquired, while the Chief Sektarus muttered, _"But I'm not even _wearing _pantsss."_

"If I'm going to come out of this victorious," Nova said firmly, "then I need my theme song to play in the background. Do you have your MP3 player with you?"

"I do," I said, rolling my eyes. "What's your theme song?"

"What else?" Nova cried gaily. "'Soul Bossa Nova'!"

"Naturally," I sighed, selecting the requested song from the playlist. Presently, a funky tune began resounding through Inner Space. It wasn't exactly the kind of epic battle music you'd expect, but it was catchy and quirky and quite enjoyable nonetheless. Pretty soon, all of us in Inner Space were fighting visibly to keep from head-bopping and feet-tapping.

"Right," said Nova. "Let's get on with it, then."

A tense silence ensued, broken only by the sound of the music reverberating through the cavern. It looked as though fire and shadow were pitted against each other for yet another battle. The question was, how would the battle end? In noble victory, or bloody defeat?


	37. Chapter Thirty-Six: Excruciation

**A/N:** Fair warning, readers: this chapter contains a little more violence and melodrama than has been the norm thus far.

**Chapter Thirty-Six – Rage and Excruciation**

I nodded, and the Chief Sektarus pulled out a Gate Card. _"Gate Card—Ssset!" _he growled, tossing his card out to land squarely in the middle of the vast space between us. It grew to an immense size, glowing purple while it did so, and then we were all ready to go.

"Bakugan Brawl!" I yelled, tossing Nova out to the Gate Card. "Stand, Pyrus Galactic Dragonoid!"

"Get ready, my enemies, to go blind from overexposure to pure _awesomeness!_" Nova thundered, lashing his tail back and forth through the air.

"_You wish, sssimpleton!" _the Chief Sektarus shot back. _"Bakugan Brawl! Ssstand, Darkusss Ultimate Hydranoid!" _Darcell's ball form skimmed over the Gate's surface, leaving a trail of purple sparks behind it. It then popped open and transformed back into his massive, five-headed Bakugan form. "Prepare to be defeated, destitute, and ultimately _deceased_, Novaakii." he snarled, speeding forward and grappling with Nova, trying to bring the smaller Pyrus to the ground.

I tapped my flickering BakuPod screen sharply, and as it winked slowly into life, I saw that both Bakugan had a massive 900G base level. "Lord and lady," I breathed. "You two are even more powerful than any one of the _pigeons _now!"

"Well," Darcell said reasonably, looking my way, "I did _kill _two of those pigeons, in case you've forgotten."

"_I_ haven't forgotten," Nova snapped, pulling Darcell past him and soaring into the air, leaving the large Hydranoid staggering off-balance, "and I never _shall _forget, nor will I forgive you for your crimes. Phyra, go for it!"

"Righto, bro!" I answered, doing a mental check over what I had with me. I wouldn't be able to use my Enhancer, since there were no empty Gates, but I still had my Microgan, so I selected one and pitched it out onto the Gate, saying, "Come, Microgan! Pyrus Tarantulak!" In a flash of fire, the large red arachnid surged onto the Gate, and my Power Level went up by 270G-Power. "Engage weapon mode, Tarantulak!" I ordered the Microgan. To my surprise, however, Tarantulak refused to move. "Tarantulak? What's going—" I started to say, then realised what the problem was. Tarantulak had been designed specifically for Nova when he was in his Assassin Dragonoid form. Since he'd evolved, Tarantulak no longer fitted to him properly. "Damn it!" I said, exasperated. "That is _not_ the kind of thing I needed to find out _after _we've already started this thing!"

"Calm yer farm, Phyra," Nova growled, facing Darcell. "I don't _need_ him in weapon mode." He launched into his opponent, and down they both went.

"_Wait jussst a sssecond, there," _the Chief Sektarus rejoined. _"Come, Microgan! Darkusss Allago!"_

"How in the name of my ever-flattened bike tyre did you get a hold of _that?_" I gasped, as what looked like a huge, jet-black alligator crawled onto the field. A sharp ridge ran down its back, and on the end of its tail was a large, spiked ball. It had 300G-Power, and seemed more than a match for Tarantulak, who hissed wildly and engaged it in battle at once.

"_Let me think about that one for a moment..." _mused the Chief Sektarus. _"Oh, yesss, I remember. I ssstole it."_

"Oh, of course," I said, not without some animosity. "You _are_ a Sektarus, after all." If my opponent was at all perturbed by this insult, however, he didn't show it. On the contrary, he looked almost gratified. Meanwhile, I had to come up with a halfway decent counter. "Ability—Activate!" I yelled. "Deadly Dragon!" While Tarantulak and Allago were locked in combat, Nova shot fire down at Darcell, whose Power Level sank to 600G-Power. Meanwhile, a dark coating spread over the Gate Card, locking it closed.

"_Ability—Activate!" _the Chief Sektarus replied venomously. _"Lunar Shield! I negate your Ability card and gain 100G-Power." _A dark wall appeared around Darcell and deflected Nova's fire attack, which narrowly missed the two Microgan. The Power Levels were now at 1170 for me and Nova, and 1300 for Darcell and the Chief Sektarus. The seal on the Gate also vanished. _"Gate Card—Open!" _the Chief Sektarus added. _"Power Merge! Thisss Gate Card allowsss each of my Bakugan and Microgan to take 100G-Power from each of _your _Bakugan and Microgan!"_

The Gate glowed white, and a four-part transfer took place between the combatants, lowering my Power Level to 770, and raising the Chief Sektarus's to 1700. "Come, Microgan, Pyrus Phasorak and Darkus Panferus!" I retorted. My two remaining Microgan appeared on the battlefield, eager to assist Tarantulak in besting Allago, and upped my Power Level by 440Gs, diminishing the gap between our respective Power Levels to 490.

"Ability—Activate!" I continued. "Tactical Elimination! Plus, Fusion Ability—Activate! Magnify! Tactical Elimination is a card that combines the powers of Darkus and Haos. It destroys one of your unused Ability cards and, if you were in the lead by 200 or more, adds 300G-Power to my Power Level. Since I've combined this with Magnify, however, I remove _both _your remaining Ability cards _and _gain 600G-Power!"

There came a whizzing noise like a gunshot, and the two Ability cards in the Chief Sektarus's lower-left hand shattered into innumerable jagged fragments, almost like glass. Meanwhile, my Power Level shot up to 1810, putting me in the lead by 110. Nova jumped on top of Darcell's back and began to tear viciously at the base of the Darkus Bakugan's wings, causing his victim to screech with pain and try to shake his Pyrus assailant off.

"_Isss that _really_ the bessst you can do?" _the Chief Sektarus howled. _"Come, Microgan! Darkusss Peakoth and Darkusss Ssscorpusss!" _Onto the Gate Card surged a black peacock with 270G-Power, shooting lethal shuriken from beneath its wings, and a black scorpion with 250G-Power, firing lasers from the tip of its barbed tail. They arrived just as the other four Microgan broke apart for a moment, and then all six fought fiercely together while the two Bakugan waged war overhead. _"Fusssion Ability—Activate!" _the Chief Sektarus added. _"Double Eclipssse! This Fusssion Ability card can be usssed at any time, and doublesss my G-Power advantage!"_

Darcell roared as his Power Level shot up by 410G-Power, and sent out a fusillade of dark lightning bolts at Nova from each of his five mouths, causing my guardian to hurtle to the ground. Knowing the Chief Sektarus now had no other moves to play, I put my hand to the small deck-box I kept strapped to my belt at all times, hoping that somewhere amongst my Ability collection, I had a counter.

I pulled a card out at random, and then looked at it. It was a card I knew well, but had never used, for it was the one and only possession of mine that I truly feared. And yet in this time and place, it somehow seemed the right card, the _only _card to use. So I fitted it slowly into the card slot on my Bakupod, hammered the button until the green light came on, and then raised my wrist and screamed, "Ability—Activate! Claws Furiously Burning!"

The effect of my Ability card was instantaneous. Nova howled with rage as he rose up, his claws alight and elongated by about two feet. The effect of Double Eclipse was cancelled and Darcell lost his 410G-Power almost as soon as he'd gained it. Then the rest of the Ability card took effect, and as Nova gained 200G-Power, Darcell and each of the opposing Microgan lost 200G-Power each, so that the Power Levels were now at 2010 for me, and 1620 for the Chief Sektarus.

Nova spewed fire down upon Allago, Peakoth and Scorpus, causing all three Microgan to revert to their closed forms and fly off the Gate's surface. Then he sprinted forward and attacked Darcell, tearing long gashes down the great beast's scaled side. Darcell grunted with pain and tried to fight back, but his sudden loss of power had dulled his reflexes greatly, and by the time he'd swiped at Nova, the latter had already pivoted out of the way and was hacking at the former's rear.

"Want another five arse-cracks?" Nova spat. "Cos I've just discovered a new career in _plastic surgery!_" Darcell's only reply was to snarl furiously and lash out at Nova with two of his tails. Caught off-guard, Nova was knocked to the ground. However, as Darcell turned and shot out his two left heads, razor-sharp teeth dripping venom, Nova rolled into a crouching position, sprang onto the balls of his feet, and with a huge stroke of his fiery claws, he'd lopped off both heads quicker than your elderly great-great-aunt whom you secretly despise could exclaim over how barbaric the practise was.

Darcell staggered slightly, his remaining three heads uttering a ghastly animal shriek of rage and excruciation as the two severed stumps issuing from his left shoulder writhed wildly about in the air. It was a gruesome sight to be sure, but it was rendered even more grotesque by the fact that there was no blood—for the intense heat of Nova's talons had seared the wounds closed instantly, as though these claws sprouting from his fingertips were lightsabers.

Nova, for his part, had now flown up into the air and was using his hands to create a multitude of fireballs, which he rained down on his tortured victim. Darcell gave a howl and took, also, to the skies, attempting to retaliate with his own dark jets of fire. Nova then rammed into Darcell hard, before climbing onto the Hydranoid's back and tearing several massive slits in his leathery wing membrane.

Darcell screamed again, and as the pair of them began to plummet back down to the ground, he twisted his neck back and bit Nova savagely in the shoulder. Nova roared, and with another swipe, Darcell found himself (and this isn't a phrase I use often) three fifths beheaded. Then they crashed into the Gate Card, splintering it to fragments with the force of their impact.

The Gate's earlier effect was now rendered null and void, and even more power was transferred from Darcell to Nova and my Microgan. Said Microgan now ran/scuttled/flew over in unison and joined in the fray, now that the battle was fully within their reach.

Darcell now found himself being butchered from all sides. I could see little of him save for the crimson sprays of blood, hear little of him save for the horrible, rending sound of flesh being torn apart...and I found myself profoundly repulsed by this. I had seen the many horrors of war, killed hundreds of Sektarii, and could claim reluctant credit for dispatching a few of the mesmerised Bakugan fighting for the Sektarii, as necessity had dictated. But this wasn't the same thing: standing by and letting Darcell be torn to bloody scraps in a four-on-one fight wasn't war. It was brutal, cold-blooded murder. "Leave off!" I heard myself yelling. "Let him alone!"

Nova stopped short where he was, turned, and looked at me in bewilderment as I summoned the Microgan back into closed form and promptly tucked them away into my pocket. "_Let him alone_?" he repeated. "What are you on about, Phyra? This is _Darcell _we're referring to!"

"Don't kill him," I pressed, in calmer tones than before. "We're not finished here."

"_No," _snarled the Chief Sektarus, dark fire fizzling into life at the base of his four palms. _"We're not finished by a long shot, Ssstaryan."_

I heaved a sigh of irritation as the Chief Sektarus advanced menacingly towards me. "A little help would be appreciated here, Nova." I said pointedly.

"I'm on it," Nova acknowledged, and he strode over and punched the Chief Sektarus's lights out.

"Thanks," I said, staring down at the crumpled Sektarus. "Now we're just left with the hard part: sorting out this mess."

We turned and looked over at Darcell. The great Hydranoid lay motionless on the ground, every ragged breath he took rasping eerily against his bloody throat. Three of his necks were reduced to stumps that still twitched slowly. A fourth lay limp in the dust, the head at the end covered in gore, bearing two dark cavities where his eyes had been ripped out. Two tails had been amputated completely, and a third had been reduced to half its original length. His ribs were laid open down his left flank. The rest of his tough, scaled hide bore countless cuts and gashes, out of which issued thin, sluggish streams of blood, running down his body to pool around him on the ground, turning the rocks scarlet. Of his ten wings, only three were fully intact. The rest were either gone or else sported varying degrees of damage.

The song drew to a close. The battle had finished. The Supreme Darkness was defeated for good. When Nova and I drew near, Darcell's middle head—the only one that remained more or less intact—turned feebly in the dust and fixed its red, glinting eyes on Nova's. "N-Novaakii..." he rasped.

Nova eyed the damaged Bakugan before him with steel in his gaze. However, the fire had died from his talons, and the wild ferocity had vanished from his demeanour. He was calm, but stern. "What do you want with me?" he asked coldly.

Darcell didn't seem so hostile now. In fact, he seemed almost scared, or pleading. "Kill me, Novaakii," he whispered, eyes wide, and glazed with pain. "I can't take it any more. Kill me."

As Nova's jaw dropped, I interjected firmly, "Oh, that's not going to happen, Darcell. You've done too much damage to get off _that_ lightly. First you're going to honour your side of the bargain you struck with Nova, and then we're taking you out to face the music."

Darcell's eyes hardened. "You dullards can't _force_ me to do your bidding." he growled.

"Well," I said, "if that's your choice, then so be it. We'll leave you to the slow, painful death you deserve, and then see that your body ends up in the Doom Dimension—where it rightfully belongs." I paused just long enough to allow Darcell to digest this, then added, "but if you're willing to be cooperative and to answer truthfully any question Nova puts to you, then we'll see if we can heal you in any way, shape or form."

Darcell looked as though he were about to argue, then suddenly twitched spasmodically and coughed up a lot of blood. Then slowly, his dark lids closed over his glassy red eyes. "It seems I am finally broken," he murmured. "Who would have thought I should eventually meet my end through my own actions? Perhaps that is poetic justice. Very well..." He opened his eyes again, and looked scared no longer, but resigned. "What would you ask of me, Novaakii?" he said wearily.

Nova crouched and faced his old enemy with an air of infinite calm and wisdom, such as you can buy at all the best party stores. "Two questions," said he, levelly. "First, what bargain had you and the Chief Sektarus struck?"

A hint of scorn crept back into Darcell's voice as he answered. "You and those Staryans were fools not to see it," he hissed softly. "The Sektarii have seen it in action before their very eyes, and when I came forth into this world, I found their fear the perfect means of getting what I sought." Seeing Nova's look of angry confusion, Darcell went on. "The two dimensions are destroying each other, Novaakii." he said harshly. "Starsector was formed, as you know, when the void barrier separating Starlight and Shadowsector was disintegrated—disintegrated, in fact, by the very same actions which caused the rift to be opened, connecting the new dimension with Vestroia: my own."

"So, you mean..." I trailed off meaningfully, finally beginning to grasp the phenomenal magnitude and complexity of the situation we were dealing with here.

"Indeed," Darcell said, with an odd inflection to his voice. "That one simple act—my trying to take hold of the Infinity and Silent Cores without the Key—had effects beyond all logic, all mortal control. I had never, not in my wildest dreams thought that by attempting to do what I did, I might change the very nature of more dimensions than one. However, that is not all there is to it. Consider, both of you, just what happened: two individual existences which were fundamentally different, polar opposites, you might say, were brought together by their intense attraction, and mutated into one whole. Certainly, Shadowsector had some light, and Starsector had some darkness, but in essence, they were each the converse of the other.

"All seems well as it is now, and for many years, Staryans and Bakugan alike have been blissfully unaware of their impending doom. It was not so with the Sektarii. They knew that to put together two warring elements will only ensure the destruction of both—for what is darkness but the absence of light? What is light but that which banishes the darkness? The two cannot co-exist in the same place, for each is continually trying to destroy the other. If neither survive, then we will have nothing, and if one shall prevail, then its value shall sink to nothing. Darkness without light is nothing, and light without darkness is nothing. Without contrast, the absolute is meaningless.

"Within the dimension of Starsector, the Celestial Land and the Uncelestial And Very Dark Land still exist, fighting each other to the death, even as their attraction brings them closer to total eradication—the day that light and darkness become one. If this comes to pass then all within Starsector will perish."

A grim silence followed these words, so full of ill-omen. Finally, Nova surprised me by speaking up. "That's not all, is it?" he guessed grimly. "It's not just Starsector in danger. Am I right?"

Darcell suddenly looked very sad. "You're right, Novaakii," he said quietly. "Because of me, Inner Space lies at the heart of the Star. Vestroia and Starsector are intertwined with each other because of my folly, and now, if Starsector sinks beneath the surface of existence, Vestroia will be dragged down with it."

Nova became very still at this, and I myself could feel panic starting to rise up in my mind. I pushed it roughly away, however, and tried to remain rational. "So, you and the Chief Sektarus both knew that you, he and all three of our races were in danger," I said. "What, then, did you do about it?"

"When the Chief Sektarus found me trapped in the energy field for the first time," said Darcell, "I told him that if he would help me break free of the field and bring me the Key to the Cores, I would be able to use the powers of Infinity and Silence to pry the dimensions apart. I would use Silence to take away Starlight, use Infinity to restore Shadowsector, and then unite the Cores together and with their combined power transport Vestroia's inner workings back to their true place in the order of things.

"I said to you, when last we met, that it was my war then which would end your war now. In some ways, you might say that is not true—for it was my war then that _caused _your races to meet in the first place, and from here, after the ill-fated meeting of Lord Twattar and Laydayas Cayuuntash, well...we all know what happened next. On the opposite side of the same token, however, my statement _was _true. Starlight and Shadowsector were attracted to each other, as we know, light and darkness each drawn to their opposite, and held apart only by the barrier. It was inevitable that one day the attraction would grow so powerful that the barrier would be filled, as it were, by the light and the darkness, and the dimensions would breach the gap and fuse.

"If the Great Fusion had come about naturally, in this manner...it is not certain what would have happened. Perhaps Lord Twattar would _not _have met Laydayas Cayuuntash up on the Octagon that day. Perhaps Staryans and Sektarii would be at peace...and then, perhaps not. The point is, what might have come to pass, didn't, for better or worse, but what _will_ come to pass is for the best. I will quell the rioting races using any means necessary, and the Chief Sektarus knows it—hence our bargain. Each of us will have got what we wanted: I will be back in my own dimension, with the power of the Cores at my beck and call. The Sektarii will be rid of their mortal enemies once and for all, and they will be free to roam in darkness again as they please. All will be well."

"Quite well," I pointed out nastily, "except for us Staryans, of course. _We'll_ all be dead, I suppose. How very kind of you."

Darcell's mournful reflectiveness vanished to some degree at this, and a familiar sneer appeared on his face. "It isn't as if we haven't already been bosom enemies since the moment we met, you and I." he retorted scathingly.

As I bit my lip, Nova snapped out of his quiet speculation and posed his second question. "Why?" he demanded, gesturing to indicate his frustrated puzzlement. "Why in the name of Code Eve's copyrighted LANGUAG_E _Language did you go to such lengths simply to gain the power of the cores? What could they possibly offer you that's worth starting a war, killing off hundreds of your kindred, altering more than one existence, bargaining to exterminate an entire race and Genesis knows what else? Answer me _that_, Darcell."

"Time." Darcell stated emphatically. "Sweet, endless time—as much of it as I want." He saw that we didn't follow, and explained further. "Infinity is the essence of life," he said, "and Silence that of death. Master both of these, and neither can master you. You can be hurt by neither the living nor the dead. The sufferings of life cannot plague you, and the cold grip of death cannot fix upon you. You are, essentially, immortal."

Nova and I were stunned at these words. Could they really be true? Were the Infinity and Silent Cores so very powerful that they could keep you from dying? I didn't know, but what I _did _know was that Darcell's actions now repelled me more than ever. "So basically, all you did was kill others so that you yourself wouldn't die." I stated flatly. "That's despicable. Besides, what good would it do you to prolong life indefinitely? Death comes after us all at some point. Everyone you loved would be long gone, and you'd still be living. It would be horribly lonely after a few centuries, don't you think?"

"You don't understand," Darcell said hollowly, a new tone entering slowly into his voice. "You none of you understand my suffering. When I was young, Dharaknoid came to me in a dream and told me that I would one day descend into the Doom Dimension for all eternity. He showed the place to me, and exhibited the hundreds of thousands of agonies I would endure. He told me I was destined to tear lives apart, to destroy everyone and everything I cared about. When I woke up, I didn't believe any of it...until the next day, when I had an argument with my mother. I was so worked up, I accidentally released a wave of dark energy from inside myself and killed her. Aghast at my actions, I ran away before my father came inside and saw the body."

Darcell paused, and I began to realise what the new element was to his tone. It was no emotion at all. It was sheer, utter madness. "I know not," Darcell went on, gaining speed gradually as he spoke, "to this day what happened to my father, whether or not he ever connected me with the murder. I did know, however, that what Dharaknoid had said was true. I'm not evil, you know—just dangerous, and I can't do a single damned thing about it. I am a threat to everyone I come into contact with, and at the end of my life, I will surely descend into the everlasting misery of the Doom Dimension, to face up to those I have wiped out of living existence by my ill-fated presence in the world."

He was actually raving now. I was starting to feel rather apprehensive...but along with my fear and loathing towards him, I also began to feel a strange sort of pity for one who had dealt and received so much pain. "I couldn't do it!" Darcell yelled at Nova, fresh blood welling out of his wounds as he tried weakly to get up. "I couldn't face up to the hundreds and thousands I had killed. I didn't want the cores merely to sustain my own lust for power—I wanted them to keep me alive after everyone else had gone, that I might live without harming others! I wanted to forestall the inevitable, to retain the payment I owed to the innocent! I just couldn't handle an afterlife in the Doom Dimension with those I had murdered. I _still_ can't!" He stared wildly at Nova, who gazed back impassively.

I glanced from one to the other, wondering who would speak first. It was Nova. "Yes," he said. "Yes, you can. You know it already, I think, or else you would not have been so eager to embrace death before."

A great deal of the burning passion embedded in Darcell's ranting seemed to flicker out a bit at this. His stare grew a fraction milder as the silence stretched out...and then a complete change overtook him, and he grew almost completely calm. "Then kill me, Novaakii." he said. "Now."

"But—" Nova hesitated, as I put a hand to my mouth in shock.

"Do it!" Darcell insisted shrilly. "If I'm going to go, then I want to go _now_, while I retain some fragment of control over my fear." Nova stared at him for a minute, and I couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking. "Please, Novaakii," Darcell uttered almost inaudibly. "I'm...I'm sorry we were ever bound to meet each other under such terrible circumstances as we did, and I'm begging your forgiveness now. If you give me even a flicker of hope, then maybe I'll be granted the strength to keep going." A tear tricked down his bloodied cheek, and he gazed up at Nova, silently pleading for mercy.

Nova looked back, and didn't utter a word. And then his gaze hardened. He clenched his fist and rammed his knuckles down hard into Darcell's left temple—the damaged side of his head. There was a sickening _crack_, and the light died from Darcell's eyes.

Nova stood shakily upright, and surveyed the corpse before him with a complicated mix of emotions I couldn't quite make out. "It is done." he said at last.

Seconds later, the ceiling began to cave in.


	38. Chapter Thirty-Seven: To Our Doom

**Chapter Thirty-Seven – To Our Doom**

"What the hell is going on!?" I exclaimed, running for cover as boulders of all shapes and sizes began hailing down from above, smashing to fragments on the ground with a horrific roar and clatter.

"The ceiling is caving in!" Nova yelled back, shielding himself with his wings as he sprinted alongside me.

"Like I didn't know that already, you great galah!" I screeched. "The question really is—why!?"

"I don't know!" Nova shot back irritably. "Keep running!"

"How very helpful," I muttered sarcastically, before narrowly avoiding being hit in the head by a rock the size of a bowling ball. We quickly exited the heart of Inner Space and after wandering through the dark tunnel, found ourselves in the cavern where I'd rescued Nova and killed Kyroah'rhas. It seemed such a long time ago, now. Through the entrance behind me I could hear the rocks still falling, sealing off the way back into the spherical chamber. "Well," I said shakily after a moment or two, "that's definitely the end of Darcell and the Chief Sektarus."

"Huh." Nova grunted. As the noise gradually died down, we noticed that we weren't the only ones here. Rebecca and her guard were sitting at a table a little way off, playing 'Go Fish'. No other Sektarii could be seen anywhere.

"_Got the ace of ssspadesss?" _hissed the Sektarus, eyeing Rebecca.

"Nope," she replied cheerily. "Go fish." The Sektarus growled and picked up a card from the pile between them. I saw my chance, and silently picked up a rock. I tiptoed over behind the Sektarus, resisting the urge to sing 'Tiptoe Through the Tulips' as I went, raised the rock, and then brought it down on the foul creature's head with a resounding _thunk_. The Sektarus toppled silently off his chair, landing in a limp heap on the ground.

Rebecca's jaw dropped, and I arched an eyebrow in what I hoped was a particularly suave and debonair fashion, refrained from striking a pose, and said smoothly, "That _totally_ made me look more awesome than you." Okay, maybe not so smoothly.

The next thing I knew, Rebecca had risen slowly from her chair and was advancing on me with a peculiar look in her eye. I remained where I was, confused. Was she about to embrace me? Start gushing about how I'd saved her life?

_WHAP!_

Rebecca brought her hand across my face so hard I staggered and nearly fell over. "Ouch!" I said, rubbing my stinging cheek. "What the cheesecake, woman? I just saved your life! You ought to be fainting into my arms right now!"

"How _dare _you do that to that Sektarus?" Rebecca demanded angrily. "Couldn't you see I was busy thrashing his arse at 'Go Fish'!?"

"But..." I faltered. "I sort of, just...wanted to, you know, make myself look really—"

"Tell that to the Marines, you jerk!" she yelled. "You had no cause for that. The Sektarus you assaulted totally had a crush on me! He practically had a _ring _already!"

I narrowed my eyes, not taking my hand from where she'd slapped me. "That," I said, shaking my head, "is just _beyond _disturbing. I mean, honestly? A _Sektarus _having a crush on you? Get a grip on reality, lady! The Sektarii have been our enemies since the day Lord Twattar met Laydayas Cayuuntash on the top of the Central Octagon and they—"

"Yes, I know the story," Rebecca cut me off with a sigh. "Sorry, Phyra. It's just...after leaving Preyas behind, I'm not really up to much in the way of rational thought, I'm afraid. I feel awful, and I don't know if the pain will ever go away."

I nodded to show I understood, then said, "Don't worry, you'll work through it eventually."

"You certain?" she asked.

I turned away for a moment, thinking about all I had seen and heard in the World of Tests. "I did." I said quietly.

"Wow," said Nova, who had been sitting quietly on another table all this time, watching us and eating popcorn. "This is even better than a soapie."

"Shut up," I snapped, "and make yourself useful. Where'd you get the popcorn, anyway?" Nova shrugged, stuffed another pawful into his mouth, and mumbled something indistinctly between crunches. I indicated that I hadn't heard. He rolled his eyes and pointed over his shoulder to a small portable microwave surrounded by packages of microwaveable popcorn. "Crumbs!" I said in surprise. "Who knew Sektarii liked popcorn so much?"

"Speaking of Sektarii," Rebecca intervened, "this one has a map with him which apparently points to the telepoint station that will take us to any one of the Core Access Points."

"How convenient..." I mused. "Do you think it could be a trap?"

Rebecca shook her head. "Nah," she said. "I think he wanted to run away to Beverly Hills with me."

"Oh, what, that weird place down in the Southern Arm?" I said. "Thrilling."

"Indeed," she replied wryly. "Only it looks like that's not going to happen now, is it?"

"Which isn't such a bad thing, I might add," I retorted. Rebecca just made an off-handed gesture and pocketed the map.

"Righto, then," she said blithely. "Shall we get out of—" At that moment, my jeans pocket started vibrating violently, and the catchy tune of 'Write Like the Wind' began blaring loudly through the cavern. I think I must have jumped fully three feet into the air (Nova asserted later that it was four and a half at least, but there's no way I'm _that _much of a big girls' blouse).

I rammed my hand frantically into my pocket and discovered the source of all the noise to be one of my mobiles (the hot pink and neon green zebra-striped one with Angry of Mayfair's head emblazoned on it). I hadn't even known I had it with me. At first I marvelled at how it didn't seem to be damaged after all that had happened, but then I saw that it was a Nokia, which of course explained everything. Hurriedly, I pressed the green button and held the phone up to my ear.

"'Allo, me li'l luvlies," I drawled casually in an attempt to disguise how shattered my nerves were. "Aunty Jack 'ere. 'Urry up 'n' tell me what's the matter before I rip yer bloody arms orf."

I paused expectantly, and Kate's voice then came on the line. "You're hilarious, Phyra." she said acidly. "Now, listen to me. The Sektarii have regathered the remnants of their army and are at the base of the Northwest Arm, trying to break through our defences and assail the Central Octagon. We need you back here. Have you and Rebecca found Nova?"

"Yeah, we have," I sighed, rubbing my temple with my free hand, "and a lot of other things besides."

"Okay, mate, there's a time and a place for yarns by the fireside, but it's neither here nor now. Can you meet me and the others up at headquarters?"

"Sure," I said. "Just one other thing. Have you ever wanted to be a pirate, Kate?"

"I— Wait, _what?_" she said, sounding extraordinarily confused.

"Because if you were," I trolled, "you would totally be Big Ugly Bug-Faced Baby-Eating O'Brien."

"PHYRA IF YOU DON'T GET SERIOUS I WILL STRING A FIDDLE WITH YOUR GUTS AND MAKE YOU PLAY IT WHILE I DANCE!" Kate raged. "NOW GET YOUR WISE-CRACKING PERSON OVER HERE BEFORE I COME AND BREAK YOUR BOTTOM!"

"Crikey, deary, settle down." I said sweetly, feeling an irrepressible smirk slide onto my face. "We'll be there in a Pygmy Puff, don't you worry your pretty little head about it. And don't think I didn't notice you ripping that line off _The_ _Kingkiller Chronicle _before."

"I can hear that smirk." Kate said flatly, before hanging up.

"But only," I muttered, as I switched off my phone, "because you're a creepy old gypsy woman."

* * *

Things seemed to speed up after that. Rebecca and I used the Sektarus's convenient map to find our way to the telepoint station, which in turn warped us over to the northern Core Access Point. Once we were out in the open again, and Nova had changed back to ball form, we could see that things outside had been getting incredibly strange while we'd been gone—prompting the question, _how long _had _we been gone?_

The sky was an odd blend of colours ranging from red to purple to black to golden-brown cookie colour with cinnamon sugar and chocolate chips—a very unusual shade which is only ever sighted once every ten generations or so. It reminded us depressingly of the Doom Dimension, actually. Fluorescent electricity in the atmosphere split the heavens into countless irregular pieces, and lit up the stark expanse of grey crags and peaks around us with a million more eerie colours. Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance. A myriad of megalomaniacs ran naked through the wasteland, warning us to watch out for man-eating llamas.

"You'd think," I groused, "that we were in some stupid low-budget sci-fi flick or something with the most _awful _special effects ever known to Staryans_._"

Rebecca nodded tersely, and we started forward, only to have our path blocked by one of the naked megalomaniacs. "What's up?" grinned the megalomaniac, waggling his fingers in a lazy greeting. "Don't let the Scarabs get to you."

Rebecca and I ignored him and marched past, noses in the air. Nova tagged along and walked into a pole. "How'd _that_ get there?" he griped, shaking himself pitiably.

"Beats _me_, fella." I said, unable to resist giggling as I placed him on my shoulder.

* * *

According to my watch, it was noon by the time we arrived in Reim. In spite of this, the sky was dark as ever, and it could have been the middle of the night for all we knew.

The streets of Reim were unusually crowded as the three of us made our way through the city to find transport of some sort to military headquarters. Worried Staryans flocked in the walkways and in the middle of the roads, making it hard for cars to drive anywhere. Everyone was either worrying about the sudden change in the weather or else talking about the battle taking place even as they spoke, down in the Northwest Arm. It was, again, like being in a cheesy horror film.

Looking around, I noticed that we were quite close to Kate's apartments, which gave me an idea. Taking Rebecca by the hand, I hurried her through the crowd until we reached the tenant garages I was looking for. Sure enough, there it was, parked in that one spot reserved for particularly awesome cars: Kate's Ferrari, which she'd apparently been given by a certain Valentine Bircham some time ago.

I knew, you see, that Kate was loth to ever drive the Ferrari up to military headquarters, for what with the amount of immature military rapscallions who traipsed in and out of there daily, it would very likely get nicked by someone as a joke. What Kate _hadn't_ counted on was one especially immature military rapscallion who could get to the car no matter what. "Ladies first," I invited lazily. "Climb on in, madam."

Rebecca remained right where she was, and folded her arms. "That Ferrari wouldn't happen to be _yours_,would it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow sceptically.

"Er," I hedged. "It's _practically _mine. Now get in."

"Define _practically._" she challenged.

"Look," I said persuasively, as I casually wrenched the door open and began to hotwire the engine, "do you want to get over to headquarters quickly or not?"

"If the owner of this car finds out about this little escapade and screams blue murder," Rebecca said forcefully, narrowing her eyes as she slid into the passenger seat, "_you're_ assuming full responsibility."

"Uh..." I paused in my efforts to start the engine, picturing the look on Kate's face if ever she _did _find out about _this little escapade_. "No guarantees there," I grinned, "but I promise you that if I decide to bilk justice at the last minute and the owner kills you, then I'll remember to put flowers on your grave. Sound fair?"

Rebecca expressed her sporting enthusiasm for this proposal by slugging me hard in the side of the head. "Watch the hair, woman," I said sternly, as the engine roared into life at last, and I settled back comfortably in the driver's seat. "If you muck it up, I'll be liable to—what was the phrase? Oh yeah, I'll be liable to rip yer bloody arms orf." With that, I straightened my injured coiffure with an air of finality, then grasped the steering wheel tightly with both hands and revved the engine as hard as I could, just to see what would happen. "I'vealways wanted to drive one of these things," I sighed pleasurably, backing the car absent-mindedly into someone's station-wagon.

Above the horrendous screech of tortured metal and various yells of abuse from a few bystanders, Rebecca said, "This might seem like a silly question, Phyra...but do you, in fact, have your license?"

I considered lying for a minute, then decided against it. "No." I said, with an insufferably charming-but-annoying smile. "I'm _way_ too busy for that rubbish."

"If we get run over by a bus and arrive dead at your headquarters," Rebecca growled, "I'm going to kill you."

"Temper, temper," I smirked, accidentally ramming into a passing ute. "Just keep calm, okay? I'm a brilliant driver. I think." I received no reply, however, other than several blaring horns and yet more abuse from a great load of bystanders, drivers, parking attendants, and in one specific case, a creepy old gypsy woman. _This is the life. _I thought placidly to myself as I flicked on the radio, before stomping hard on the brakes to avoid running down the creepy old gypsy woman. From there, I screeched out of the car park to the sound of 'Livin' on a Prayer'playing full-blast on the radio, and, ignoring the cries of the Staryans behind me, set off on one very memorable ride.

I weaved haphazardly in and out of traffic, bumping other cars off the road as I pleased, almost hitting five creepy old gypsy women (now I think of it, there was some sort of creepy old gypsy women convention going on in the city that weekend, which explained the unusually large amounts of creepy old gypsy women generally out and about), a dog, a small psychopathic child, three walls, ten fire hydrants (I actually _did _hit one, but that didn't stop me for long), one ice cream man, six taxis, and two paper boys. Thanks to my awesome driving skills, though, I didn't in reality collide with any of these—that fire hydrant I mentioned earlier notwithstanding.

I had the car going at full speed, and drove wherever the hell I wanted to drive, tearing through a few red lights, doing several wheelies down Main Street, having a couple of burnouts in front of the Royal Post Office, charging through a marching band who were playing in honour of our soldiers, and swinging precariously to the side of the road several times to dodge a few dozen police cars. It struck me vaguely as I exited the city that I might have been just a tad reckless back there, maybe even a little _unsafe_. But I doubted it strongly, since I hadn't yet been pulled over and arrested.

Around half an hour later, we pulled up outside the huge complex of buildings that composed our HQ. I showed my snazzy ID card to the guard post at the entrance, parked the Ferrari carelessly in the middle of about three or four different parking zones, assisted the trembling Rebecca out of the car, and swaggered over to Central, the main department. It wasn't until we'd passed the inside security and proceeded upstairs that Rebecca suddenly sat down and began to have hysterics. "Er, that's probably my fault," I said apologetically to a passing tea lady. "Go take her to the cafeteria and give her a large brandy or something, will you? I have some business to take care of."

The tea lady nodded curtly, paused briefly as I leaned over and grabbed a couple of Mars Bars off her trolley, then allowed the sobbing Rebecca to take her arm. As the one led the other down the hall, I opened one of the Mars Bars and set off to the council room, chomping thoughtfully. Five minutes later, I karate-kicked the door open and, stuffing another chocolate into my mouth, announced, "S'okay everyone. I'm 'ere. You can all relax."

I saw that Kate, General Harp Darp, Captain Hackett, Colonel Narov and Major Duckford were all gathered there already. Funnily enough, Mikael and Jack were also present. I finished off the rest of my chocolates slowly, deposited the wrappers on one of the sideboards, and then strode over to the table and lounged back in my seat, leaning on two chair legs. "What's the buzz?" I queried pleasantly.

Kate arose from her chair, and walked towards me, a queer expression on her face. I half-rose up from my seat, expecting a hug, when— _**WHAP! **_I really _did_ fall over this time, getting entangled in the chair legs and sprawling to the ground.

"_That_ was for the stupid conversation we had earlier." said Kate, checking to see that she hadn't broken any nails.

"I am _so _glad, now," I said angrily, standing up and massaging my tingling cheek, "that I pranged your car."

Kate seemed suddenly about five feet taller, and sparks appeared to leap from her eyes. _"YOU DID WHAT!?" _she screamed vengefully, advancing again.

"I didn't say anything!" I backtracked hastily, sidling away as quick as I could without appearing too intimidated.

"YOU WRECKED OUR BEAUTIFUL CAR!?"Kate continued to yell. "OUR CAR? OUR PRECIOUSSS? YOU THIEF! YOU SSSTOLE IT FROM USSS! YOU—"

"Now, look," I said as soothingly as I could under the circumstances, "it was all just a big misunderstanding. You see..." My voice faded to nothing as Kate kept walking slowly towards me, fists clenched. Suddenly and without warning, she checked, and then lost the larger portion of her menacing aura. "Pooh," she said with a shrug. "Whatever. That thing was fake, anyhow. Valentine said he'd get me a real one when he got a pay rise."

"Oh, no _wonder _it so so easy to hotwi—hey, _wait _a moment!" I whinged. "You're telling me that the beautiful thing I felt so unspeakably badass in whilst driving _wasn't _actually a real—" I was cut off unceremoniously as Kate's fist made rapid contact with my mouth. "Yes," she said decidedly, "but that _doesn't_ mean I'm not still cross with you."

I wiped blood off my chin with my sleeve. "You're a demented, dusterly woman." I muttered. Kate didn't deign to reply. I suspect it was because she didn't know what I meant.

"Jolly good show, chaps," said Harp Darp vaguely. "Now shall we perhaps get on to the real situation here?"

"Excellent idea, sir." approved Narov. "So, what _is _the situation anyway?"

Harp Darp took a moment to quaff down an entire stein of whiskey before replying. "Um," he said. "Well, I think now we're all here, we're pretty much just going to keep doing the usual, you know...um, um...Narov, what was it again?"

"Running blindly forward to our doom?" Narov suggested helpfully.

"_No_,that's not it at all," Hiroshai snapped in annoyance. We waited a few more minutes, and then he seemed to grasp what he was looking for. "Ah!" he exclaimed brightly. "_Running blindly forward to our doom_, that was it!" The rest of us, as usual, rolled our eyes. "So anyway," said Harp Darp, "as to the general location we're wanting. We've got the blighters down in the ruins of...er...um..."

"Novernford." volunteered Hackett.

"Oh, _heavens_, no!" General Hiroshai said emphatically, glaring. "It was...no, don't tell me, I'll get it in a minute...wait, here it comes— _Novernford!_ That's the place!" He beamed, and everyone rolled their eyes a second time. Except me, that is. _Novernford, hey? _I was thinking solemnly. _There it all started for me, and it looks like there it's going to end for me, too. How very appropriate..._

"Dear me," Hiroshai clucked. "I seem to have run out of whiskey. Sally forth and fetch me some more, will you, Duckford? There's a good lad." Duckford, who had up until now remained silent, mumbled an assent and left the room. An awkward silence ensued.

"So, um," Kate said, consenting to speak to me once more, it seemed. "What happened with you lot, then? How'd you rescue Nova?"

Nova, who had been dozing fitfully in my pocket, started at the sound of his name being spoken, and emerged. "Whassat?" he uttered in slightly slurred tones. "Whaddappened?"

"Oh, hi, Nova." Kate said disinterestedly. "You've evolved. Nice six-pack."

"Yeah, we're not mentioning anything _you_ need to bother your tiny little head about," I said. "Go back to sleep."

"Fine," Nova said grumpily. "I _will_, then." He disappeared.

"So anyway," I began, "it's quite a long story..."

"Hold it a moment." Harp Darp interrupted.

The six of us turned to look at him. "What is it, sir?" Narov inquired urgently.

"Just don't start the story yet." Hiroshai ordered. I shrugged my assent, and he got up and went out into the adjoining kitchen. There was the sound of a microwave beeping. Two minutes later, the general emerged again with a bowl of steaming popcorn. "Whiskey flavoured." he said happily, tossing a piece into the air and catching it in his mouth.

"And may the odds _never _be in your favour." Hackett muttered, causing the rest of us to snicker.

"Want some, anyone?" the general offered, taking a copious period of time to lick his fingertips repeatedly before holding out the bowl. The rest of us politely declined, so he shrugged and set to eating the lot himself while I told of all that Nova, Rebecca and I had undergone whilst on our journey.

"That's _awful_," Kate shivered, when I got to the part about leaving Preyas and the others behind.

"I know," I said unhappily, "but we had no other alternative than to stay there and keep them company, which would have done _you_ fellas a fat lot of good. Anyway, Darcell's gone, so that's one less thing to worry about."

"Indeed," Kate said fervently. "Now that _he's_ out of the way, we can focus on cleaning up his mess without having to prevent him from making any more." The others nodded to themselves at this.

"It seems to me," Jack piped up, "that you've had rather an unsettlingexperience, my friend."

"_That'll _be the understatement of the year." I snorted.

"Well, actually," Narov said practically, "I still think Dame Whatnot's going to win the award. Remember what she said at the king's garden party?"

"Oh, yes," I murmured, thinking back to all the newspapers that had written extravagantly about the affair. "You're probably right."

At that point, Major Duckford re-entered the room. "I didn't know what kind of whiskey you wanted," said he, "so I brought in the bartender to ask you himself. His name's Paddy. Paddy O'Reilly."

"Tell me, Paddy...would you be Eyerish, perchance?" Hiroshai inquired curiously as the short, stout bartender entered the room with a tray of whiskey bottles.

"Yessir," rumbled Paddy. "Now, what'll ye have?"

"Well," mused the general, considering carefully, "I think I'll have the _Everrythiing Atonce 1870_, thanks."

Paddy looked slightly confused at this, but once he'd thought about it a moment, he gave a hearty chuckle. "Ooh, I see!" he said genially, setting the entire tray down in front of the general. "That means _everything at once_. I remember!"

At these apparently remarkable words, the rest of us in the room (and I have no idea why, either) started clapping and cheering. When the applause finally died down, Paddy exited the room with a bow and the awkward silence returned.

"I wonder," Duckford said thoughtfully at last, "if any of us actually have lives."

* * *

After we had sat and discussed the matter a bit more and concluded that most of us didn't, in fact, have lives, it was then time to be going and, as the general had so optimistically put it, running blindly forward to our doom. So we all began to exit the room. I was engaged in rousing Nova when Narov mentioned that I really should put my crumpled chocolate wrapper in the bin.

"Ooh!" I squeaked, snapping a sizable twig off a nearby potted shrub. "I've always wanted to try this." I grandiloquently flourished the twig in the direction of the wrapper and said in the deepest, most impressive tone I could muster, _"Wingardium leviosa!" _To my vast disappointment, nothing happened. "Yeah, I didn't really think that would work..." I said sadly, picking the wrapper up and putting it in the bin. The twig I replaced in the pot.

The general discreetly appropriated several more bottles of whiskey and stuffed them into his pockets, and then we headed out the door. I also made sure to collect Rebecca from the cafeteria. She looked a lot better, only from the way she giggled and waved when she saw us, and from the pink tinge in her cheeks, I was guessing either she had been slapped by some _really _hot guy who, in some perverse way, considered hitting ladies to be a form of flirting, or else (and more likely) she was more than slightly tipsy. "I _knew_ brandy was a bad idea," I grumbled, helping her up.

"So why'd you suggest it then, twerp?" the tea lady grunted contemptuously, putting her hands on her hips.

"Well," I said vaguely, "I dunno. I thought it was something you drank after a shock? Hell, who cares, anyway? Let's just get out and save the world, shall we?"

"Alright," said the tea lady agreeably. "Just let me get my hat and coat and purse and—is it cold out? I probably need a muffler too, and—"

"Not _you!_" I screeched, aghast. "You're too ugly!"

"And, er, so are we." smiled the general, pointing at himself, Duckford and Narov.

I gave them a disdainful once-over. "You know," I mused, "you're right. Sorry, chaps. Looks like you're not coming." With that, the rest of us young and pretty folk flounced out of the building and made our way to the car park, where we looked around for the fake Ferrari. It wasn't in the place I'd left it. "Ummm..." I muttered, scratching my head. "Where'd it go?"

"Doubtless," said Kate nastily, "it got stolen by some immature military rapscallion as a joke."

"Nah," I said, unfazed. "That was earlier this afternoon." Presently, the Ferrari _did _actually turn up, full to overflowing with about ten or so immature military rapscallions, all guffawing and swigging bottles of beer. "Well," I said pathetically to Kate, who was glaring at me, "I never said I knew _everything._"

Kate continued to look unimpressed as I gave a cheesy-and-retarded grin. The Ferrari pulled up in front of us, and all the immature military rapscallions inside tumbled out untidily, still guffawing and swigging bottles of beer. "Yo, Kate," one of them guffawed, taking a swig from his bottle of beer. "_Nice _car, man. It's so rad, so epic, so Ferrari-like—"

"It's fake." Kate stated coldly.

At that, all the immature military rapscallions looked severely disappointed. "What?" the leader squawked after a moment. "You mean we went to _all_ that trouble just to steal a _fake _Ferrari!? Good _lord_, how inconsiderate can you _get?_" He and his friends then dispersed, no longer guffawing (save in one case), but muttering darkly and shooting Kate reproachful looks. They were, however, still swigging bottles of beer. One of them casually threw up into some random's convertible, then kept walking.

"The things you see sometimes..." I sighed.

"We're not finished talking about this, you and I." Kate said, poking me in the chest. I wisely decided to remain silent. We all then piled uncomfortably into the very battered-looking fake Ferrari, which creaked and rocked under our combined weight. Kate said firmly that _she _would drive, to which I made no complaint. Not, mind you, because I ever considered even for a nanosecond that Kate might be a better driver than me, but because driving a fake Ferrari is so inferior a practise compared to that of driving a real Ferrari. Now, when Valentine got Kate a _real_ Ferrari, that would be another matter entirely.

"What are you smiling so maliciously about, Phyra?" Jack asked curiously from where he sat in the front.

"Nothing," I said hastily, composing my features into a less questionable expression.

Rebecca hiccuped slightly.

* * *

While we took the long drive down to Novernford, I asked Kate and the others about what they'd been up to while I was away with Rebecca. "Well," said Kate, "right before you called me up about going off to retrieve Nova from Kyroah'rhas, I'd received a notification from General Hiroshai, telling me that Roximor and I had been picked as part of a team to undertake a classified mission in the Sector."

"Darn right, toots." Roximor agreed, before adding as an afterthought, "And I should like to say in the name of the Ever-Omniscient Rune of Scrabulus that we should look not to the bleak future but to the bright, if we are to succeed in achieving that higher level of ultimate, dominant felicity."

"Thanks, Rox." Kate said drily. "So anyway, it turns out that I'd been chosen as back-up by the other member of this team—a man who apparently couldn't do without my unique blend of...what was it again, Trap? _Womanly strength, level-headedness and uncanny aptitude on the battlefield_?" While Kate shot him a cheesy grin, Hackett had the grace to blush slightly as he muttered a vague assent. I noticed that Jack was looking less than impressed.

"So, after that," Kate continued, "we went through an agonising two-hour briefing with the general, about three quarters of which seemed to involve the accretion of more whiskey, and then we finally got on to the actual purpose of the mission: intelligence. We were effectively being sent into the Sector to obtain knowledge of the remaining Sektarii and their movements, as there had been occasional reported sightings of scattered Sektarii in the Outer Rim. Over there, then, did we travel, and our efforts were soon rewarded. Before long, we chanced upon a single Sektarus whom we followed, eventually being led to some kind of temporary militant base. This base had surprisingly minimal security, which we breached pretty easily, as it turned out—"

"Don't be so modest, Sergeant," Hackett interrupted. "That very womanly strength I mentioned was what got us in there, and you know it. Not," he hastened to add, "that I wasn't awesome too, of course."

"Of course," Kate said absently, before going on. "Regardless of whose awesomeness it was, we got in there easily enough, and found an abundance of useful intelligence lying about the place in sealed files and folders, mostly stamped with _USEFUL INTELLIGENCE. IT'S STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL, SO KEEP OUT, STUPID._ We grabbed as many of these as possible, of course, and soon enough we worked out that the Sektarii were planning to attack the Central Octagon via the Northwest Arm. After the success of our little foray, we were of course eager to get back to headquarters and show our findings to the general. So we zipped out of the camp post-haste, only, to our massive astonishment, to bump into Jack and Mikael."

"_We_ were out on assignment," Jack explained, "doing pretty much the same thing as Kate and, and...yeah. Only on a much awesomer scale, mark you."

"NOT THAT IT WOULDA BEEN HALF AS RAWRSOME WITHOUT MEH, FLOOPATROONS!" Kefira suggested—or yelled, rather.

"Oh, I'm _so _sure," snickered Cynfael. "Without your excited jabbering, we'd have actually managed to sneak _past _those guards, and therefore been deprived of an ensuing battle that _my _wowsome skills rendered spectacular."

"YOU CALLING LE MOI A LOUDMOUTH, YA SHMUCK!?" Kefira blustered, taking two or three fierce swipes at the air in front of her to demonstrate her slightly dubious feminine bravado. Cynfael didn't say anything to that, but turned huffily away. Nova, meanwhile, woke up and decided to peep out of my pocket. "Oh," he said, disgruntled. "It's just _you_ lot." He vanished again.

"What was that?" asked Mikael, who, quiet as ever, hadn't spoken much.

"Nothing," I shrugged. "Nova's being Nova."

Rebecca started to giggle feebly. "Nova's a _pancake_, Phyra." she tittered. "How could a Bakugan like him possibly be a _pancake?_"

To this question, I could summon no answer. "Um." I said, deciding to change the subject. "So. Mikael. Where's Ravenoid today?"

"At the battle already." answered Mikael. "All the other Bakugan at the BBS were called up for active duty. The only reason Cynfael and Kefira are here is because they were out, as we said, on an important assignment. Go figure."

"Indeed." I grinned, before turning to Kate. "What happened then, when you and Trap met up with Jack and Mikael?"

"Meetings..." Roximor sighed whimsically, "are like great, great dances within the shiny, spunky void of— MY STARS! IS THAT A WOMBAT!?" All of us bar Kate turned to look and see what Rox was pointing at. It was, in fact, a wombat. A large, brown, very burnt-looking wombat.

"That can only mean one thing..." I said ominously. "The Overlords have met once again." These words, to my vast disappointment, didn't spark in anyone the appropriate feelings of dread or apprehension.

"After we met," Kate continued, ignoring both Roximor's question and my doomsday statement, "we had a cup of tea (she failed to notice my slight groan at this), and then Jack gave me a couple of spare information folders to look at, and it turned out that the attack on the Northwest Arm was scheduled for the very next day—a somewhat disturbing turn of events. So I offered the boys a ride back to headquarters, and we made our way back to the vehicle. It was as we were clambering in that we—er—sort of ran into about twenty Sektarii, so it turned out we needed to get through a bit of a battle—"

"Which my wowsome skills rendered spectacular." Cynfael supplied anxiously.

"AND MY RAWRSOMENESS!" Kefira chimed in.

"Okay," smiled Kate. "Which your respective wowsome skills and rawrsomeness rendered spectacular. After that, we returned to base pretty quickly and sounded the alarm. The vast majority of our available troops were immediately deployed to the Northwest Arm and we were successfully able to prevent the Sektarii from breaking through. The battle has been raging for about a week now, and we're getting desperate enough to now send in the reserves—hence my calling you, Phyra. So here we are."

"Crikey." was all I could manage.

"Crikey indeed," said Cynfael, "but the best part of the story was totally my wowsome skills. You have to admit that."

"LIKE HECKAROONEY, MISTER!" Kefira screamed furiously. "IT WAS MY RAWRSOMENESS THAT MADE IT ALL HAPPEN!"

"Well, let's not forget the drones," Kate reminded the pair of them. "Those Sektarii didn't stand a chance, what with the Summoner Drone Captain Hackett had already, and those he so kindly issued _me._"

"It was nothing." smirked the kind captain himself.

Jack scowled. "Drones-shmones," he said assertively. "Bakugan are better."

"Speaking of drones," Hackett continued, undismayed, "I've conveniently just remembered that I have some available here for those who might want to help test them out in the upcoming battle—"

"Gimme." Jack said at once, an eager, wolfish grin capturing his face.

"Well," said Hackett, smiling slightly as he pulled a number of metal spheres out of his pocket, "let's see what I've got here. Kate already has Ventus Sorcerer Drone and Aquos Warlock Drone, and I have Subterra Summoner Drone. That leaves..." He handed a couple of the spheres to me. "Pyrus Mage Drone and Darkus Necromancer Drone for you, Phyra." he said.

"Thanks," I replied, examining them. They were heavier than I'd expected, and didn't seem to be alive or capable of speech like normal Bakugan were. However, I knew that in spite of this, these drones were extremely powerful.

"Haos Cleric Drone goes to Jack," Hackett went on, handing Jack a white and gold drone.

"You beaut!" Jack gushed, holding it up to the light. "I can _tell_ this thing totally rocks, and I haven't even seen it in action yet!"

"Mikael, you can have the Subterra/Aquos Shaman Drone," Hackett said, tossing one of the remaining drones to Mikael, who caught it and nodded his thanks. "And that leaves..." Hackett turned the remaining drone over in his hand, "the Ventus/Pyrus Conjurer Drone, for Rebec—"

"**DIBS!**" yelled Major Duckford, suddenly springing out of the glove compartment.

"MAJOR DUCKFORD?" Kate, Hackett and I screeched as one. "HOW THE HELL DID _YOU_ GET HERE!?"

"I stowed away." Duckford explained with an air of casual satisfaction, swiping the last drone from Hackett and cradling it lovingly in his hand.

"How'd you even _fit_ in there?" Jack gaped, as the major pulled himself awkwardly out of the compartment.

"Ah," Duckford smiled, tapping his nose. "One does not simply _ask _how I fit in there, you know. A good magician never reveals his secrets."

As Jack snorted, I turned angrily on the major. "What in the fictitious Tehlu's name are _you_ doing here, man?" I stormed. "I thought I told you that you were too _ugly _to be saving the world!"

Duckford burst into tears without warning, his spectacles tipping slightly off-centre. "I'm sorry," he sobbed. "I really _am_ sorry, but I just couldn't _take _it! I _knew _deep down that I was pretty enough to save the world! I wanted to _prove _it to you!"

"Well, er, there, there." I said awkwardly, patting him on the back. "You're here now, so I guess you can come."

"Really?" Duckford sniffled, beaming.

"Really," I sighed, before adding sternly, "but _next _time, you do as I say. No more stowing away in the glove compartment—or—or any other place, either." Duckford nodded enthusiastically, and straightened his glasses.

"Tell me," Jack muttered in my direction, "just _which _one of you is the senior-ranking officer?"

"Er," I mumbled, blushing, "him. But don't remind him about that, or he'll be stowing away in my _underpants _next."

"Meaning your _non-existent_ underpants?" Kate smirked. I suddenly got a lot of weird looks. Rebecca giggled again, regardless of the fact that Duckford had effectively just nicked the drone she would have received.

"It's just a joke, guys." I said, affecting nonchalance. "And _I_ thought we were keeping that among ourselves." I added, glaring at Kate.

"Not any more." she said, smiling sweetly.

* * *

We arrived without further incident at Overhang Point, a large section of the Central Octagon's rim that jutted out over the long, downhill slope that formed the Northwest Arm. Overhang Point afforded a fairly decent view of the distant battle taking place in the dilapidated remains of Novernford between the Royal Staryan Army and the Not-So-Royal Sektarus Army. We weren't quite able to make out what the situation was, but the noise sounded awful.

We looked around, wondering where the best route lay to getting down the hill and joining in. I finally spotted a pair of gates and a staircase that looked suitable. A long line of soldiers waited here, filing through one by one. "Ah, man," Kate sighed, swinging the car into a free parking spot. "Trap, do you think we'll need tickets?"

"Don't worry, I booked them before we left." said Hackett confidently. "Although," he added, "we'll need to grab one for the major, here."

Kate rewarded him with a smile as we clambered out of the car and joined the end of the queue. A longish wait later, we arrived at a small, portable desk in front of the gates. "Yo," said the teenage Staryan girl at the desk, not looking up from her mobile, on which she was texting furiously. "Got tickets?"

"Hey there, sweet thing," Hackett said suavely, "the name's Trap Hackett—_Captain_ Trap Hackett. I've got bookings for all our party save one. Major Duckford will require a senior's pass."

The girl blinked rapidly, then typed briskly away at the laptop sitting on the desk to her right for a few seconds. "You're all clear," she said. "That'll be sixteen-fifty."

"Make it twenty." I put in, noticing the snack bar. "We'll probably need a few slabs of chocolate if we're going to last out the day." The girl shrugged and put a stack of chocolate up on the counter. I passed a fiver over to Hackett, who accepted it as he pulled an assortment of coins out of his pocket. Counting out the remainder, he handed a fistful of money over to the girl, who shoved the chocolate into my hands and motioned us towards the gates. "Don't you think," I said slowly, as we passed through and began to make our way downstairs to the battle, "that this whole set-up, with the ticket booth and the snack bar and the very convenient car parking is just a little...I dunno, silly?"

There was a pause, and the seven of us and our Bakugan stopped on the stairway to mull this question over for a moment. "Nah." we all said dismissively at last, continuing our descent.

Rebecca resumed giggling.


	39. Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Destruction

**Chapter Thirty-Eight – The Destruction**

Lightning crackled overhead, and a sheet of dark clouds had settled over the sky, blocking out the vibrant yet dreary colours of before. A light smattering of oddly luminescent rain began to pelt down, completely soaking the hundreds of belligerents fighting it out fiercely amidst the ramshackle foundations of what had once been a prosperous town—and more importantly, my home.

"Ability—Activate!" I yelled from my place upon Nova's neck. "Rise of the Underworld!" Necromancer Drone raised his hand in a powerful gesture and roared. From beneath the ground emerged some fifty-odd skeletal figures, shaped like a variety of different Bakugan and glowing with a supernatural luminosity. These massed together and began as one to attack any Sektarii they came across.

"Fusion Ability—Activate!" I added, as Nova swooped down low through the air and shot a stream of multicoloured energy at one or two stray Sektarii who'd got too close. "Summon Forth Hell!" Mage Drone now combined his strength with Necromancer Drone's, using an incantation to enwrap the zombie Bakugan in bindings of enchanted fire, so that they now did twice the damage. Then it was Nova's turn. Fire alone didn't do too much good in this sort of weather, but that didn't matter any more, since Nova could now use any Attributes he wanted.

"Ability—Activate!" I roared. "Whirlpool!" Nova lashed out fiercely with his tail and tripped up a pack of nearby Sektarii, before creating a spiralling grave of water beneath them. The raging vortex convulsed in on the fell creatures instantly, dragging them down to a slow, horrible death.

Neither our army nor the Sektarii's had fully recovered from our last savage battle, and the numbers on each side were both greatly diminished, rendering the odds of either army winning relatively even. However, the Sektarii undoubtedly had the upper-hand for the present, as they'd been planning for this moment for a good while now, whereas we Staryans had had to jump into action with hardly any warning at all. We had to hope, therefore, that the inherent advantage our Bakugan gave us would eventually prevail.

The Sektarii had a meagre handful of stolen Microgan and Enhancers on their side, but it was no match for our larger stores of advanced weaponry. I had a feeling that this battle would be over before the day was out, but who would emerge on top? The Sektarii were currently dominating, but could they retain their advantageous position long enough to crush us, or would we gradually overcome them before that happened? No one could say for sure.

A spurt of black Sektarus fire narrowly missed me as I loaded several rounds of ammunition into my blaster and fired them off into the fray. Beside me, Mage Drone and Necromancer Drone continued to summon forth their faux-magic, which ate through Sektarii like flame through paper. On arriving at the battle site, I'd immediately wondered where my unit had got off to. Turns out they were still on leave, lucky buggers that they were, so I was pretty much on my own.

A little way off, I espied Alpha Turret charging itself up slowly, and fending off any assailants with the help of Phasorak, Tarantulak and Panferus. Kate and Roximor weren't too far away either, fighting away multiple Sektarii with an overwhelming variety of Ventus Attacks.

Sorcerer Drone assisted, brandishing a bladed wand like that of Summoner Drone's, and calling forth all manner of nature's powers to fight for it—hurricanes, sudden storms and elemental dragons all rushed to do its bidding. _"Aerlevsedi!"_ it boomed, calling the name of the wind, which rose up and struck down its foes like the hand of some deity.

Warlock Drone was also about, hacking its enemies down with a massive sword and pronouncing terrible curses on those who opposed it. "This is my doom upon you..." it said in a queer, deep wail to a few trembling Sektarii. "To forever roam the mysterious, unending void beyond the deepest depths of the dimension with no respite..."

The thunder crashed all the harder up above, and the lightning showed everything up in a thousand shades of eerie light. Black Sektarus fire flared up all around, creating dark blots on the landscape broken only by the lightning, and the high-speed exchange of lasers from our guns and theirs.

"Triple Micro Ability—Activate!" I called. "Darkus and Pyrus Diagonal Relation Mark II, plus Wildcat Fury, plus Phasor Plus!" Phasorak and Panferus each gained a significant increase in power, and then their energies combined with that of Tarantulak's, and the three Microgan unleashed a fresh burst of supercharged energy into the enemy legions.

"Ability—Activate!" I continued. "Tornado Switch!" Nova beat his six wings, called a vast tornado into life and sent it rushing down along the ancient, shattered cobblestones, scattering several more Sektarii. I looked around and saw Jack and Cynfael fighting fiercely against a particularly large Sektarus near where Kate's Omega Striker was set up. Eagoroth wasn't far off, swooping down and distracting other Sektarii locked in battle with various Staryan soldiers. Cleric Drone was alternately swiping at Sektarii with a gargantuan battleaxe and using reviving Abilities to heal wounded Bakugan and Staryans.

Kate had now equipped Wyvoro to Roximor, and the three of them were flying overhead together with Drakoflyer and Ninjitsu Monarus, soon joined by Mikael astride Kefira. Below them, Shaman Drone used dozens of mysterious talismans to bring into the play the unknown powers of bird and beast. Sektarii were felled here and there—some torn to pieces by invisible claws, others beaten down by unseen wing-beats, and still more devoured, burned, strangled, bludgeoned, and otherwise ruthlessly destroyed by unnameable, unthinkable forces.

The clouds had thickened, and the sky was very nearly black, save for the occasional faint patch of illumination where the lightning continued to crackle behind the cloud blanket. The rain fell harder, and the wind blew stronger. There was a sudden increase in the ferocity of Aquos, Ventus and Darkus Abilities, and a great many Sektarii were beaten back by the renewed vehemence of Bakugan in those Attribute groups. I decided to take advantage of the situation.

"Supportive Ability—Activate!" I called. "Charge Transfer!" Alpha Turret's aerial swivelled around suddenly to point at Omega Striker, and all the power it had been charging was now beamed over to the Ventus Enhancer. "All yours, Kate!" I hollered over the sound of my blaster firing as I shot another burst of lasers out at an advancing Sektarus.

Kate nodded and activated her Enhancer. "Engage ultimate mode, Eagoroth!" she screamed. The bird-like Microgan sped over and locked into place in Omega Striker's hub. The whole apparatus morphed into a huge, dangerous android that went rampaging down through the ruins, disseminating and annihilating Sektarii with an air of practised ease. Kate, meanwhile, now had the power of her Ability cards multiplied by one hundred percent, and attacked fiercer than ever.

Then I decided to try something different. "Looks like the Haos and Pyrus boys could use a little help, Nova," I said loudly above the tumult. "What say we give it to them?"

"I'm for it!" Nova called back, his six-pack rippling as he slashed and punched and kicked and lashed out and generally displayed his capabilities in physical combat. We took off, and were soon flying high into the sky: through the rain, which couldn't bother Nova any more since he had control over the Aquos Attribute, above the clouds, and into the lightning-split sky, which shone brightly with more colours than could even be counted, much less named.

Here the noise of the battle below didn't seem so close, and an odd sense of tranquillity lingered in the air. I took it all in for a moment, and felt a queer, loose ache inside me somewhere—a longing, I think, for the battle to be over and normal order to be restored...but that wasn't going to happen unless I pulled my finger out and got on with it.

"Ability—Activate!" I said, loading a Haos card into my BakuPod. "Summon Lightning!" White forks of lightning rushed past us and darted down through the clouds, vanishing from sight. Moments later, Cynfael and Kefira appeared next to us, bringing Jack and Mikael with them.

"You called?" Mikael enquired, raising an eyebrow.

"We did," I nodded. "I'm heightening the power for Pyrus and Haos."

"Oh, I gotta baaad feeling about this..." Jack grinned.

"No kidding there." Cynfael muttered.

"WHO DA HECK CARES, DENELOPE?" Kefira demanded. "LET'S GET AT DA BLARSTED BEASTIES ALREADY!"

I gave a charming-but-annoying smile, and then by unspoken agreement, we turned and entered into a steep, downward dive. The wind howled desolately as we made our steep descent. The rain pelting into our faces was harsh, and stung like a thousand biting insects.

When we breached the cloud barrier once again, however, and emerged into the world of warfare once more, I was gratified to see that my plan had worked: the lightning had struck low, all the way to the ground, and set a dozen _dozen_ fires smouldering ominously against the rain. These, as well as being excellent for me, Nova, and the small handful of artificial Pyrus Attributed supporting pieces, also gave off numerous flickering little lights that pervaded the circumfluent darkness like the stars in night-time, balancing out Haos's ability to combat Darkus and vice versa.

"Double Ability—Activate!" I screamed. "Blazing Dragonia, plus Haos Power Overload!" A raging ball of fire and shadows went flying into a group of Sektarii who were struggling against Omega Striker's might. Then Nova glowed bright white suddenly, blazing like a beacon as the power inside him increased for every Haos Bakugan within a furlong. He let out a huge burst of white flames, engulfing three or four more Sektarii completely. Beside us, Kefira and Cynfael did much the same, though in Kefira's case, considerably more avidly.

Screams and cries rang out everywhere, as if this were all some kind of twisted nightmare. A body flew past my right side, though whether Staryan, Bakugan or Sektarii, I couldn't tell. Our men and theirs alike were falling every few seconds, corpses littered the bloodied ground, and despite the lingering fires still burning here and there, the sky continued to darken, As this happened, our world was slowly consumed by the ceaseless shadow. Looking around, I couldn't even tell which side was likely to win any more. But that didn't mean I ought to give up fighting for my people.

"Ability—Activate!" I shouted. "Hammer of Stone!"

An enormous hammer that appeared to be hewn from rock appeared in Nova's hands. "Mjolnir!" he yelled with the air of an aficionado.

In spite of darkness, despair and general imminent doom, I still found the attitude to face-palm. "Mjolnir isn't made of rock, numbskull!" I pointed out loudly.

"Minor technicality." Nova retorted jauntily, before heaving to with the hammer, smashing anything unfriendly he could get a shot at. Nearby, I could see others engaged in the same sorts of activities. Captain Hackett was simultaneously shooting his gun at enemies and taking research notes as he continued to run various incomprehensible tests on Summoner Drone and his Microgan. He still found time to wink at a certain Sergeant Newbell who stood not too far off, though. Seeing this, Jack immediately had Cynfael touch down in the same area so as to participate in the ground combat with Cleric Drone. "So, uh, Kate..." I heard him yell over the noise. "There was something I needed to—" A loud _BOOM _from some gun or other muffled the rest of this remark, which was probably a good thing.

Next I saw Rebecca, who was swaying slightly as she dispatched a few Sektarii here and there with anything that came to hand: rocks, broken bottles, sticks, someone's underpants (not mine), and so on. I saw Duckford battling it out with Conjurer Drone, who had countless conjurations at his beck and call—chiefly various weather effects and really massive fireballs.

"Gate Card—Set!" I growled, thinking to try a different tack. A small card flew from my BakuPod V2 to land on the ground beneath a large scrummage of Sektarii and Bakugan. I was about to open the Gate when the fires, which had been dwindling rapidly, now winked out in entirety, and everything became completely black.

I heard the sounds of battle pause momentarily, as everyone grew confused for a moment. Then a horrible chorus of shrieking from my fellows as the night-seeing Sektarii resumed their advance on us and began felling blinded Staryans left, right and centre. Over the top of this came an ominous drumming sound from the distance, growing steadily louder and nearer. I decided I didn't want to wait around and see what it was.

"BAKUGAN, TO ME!" I cried, urging Nova higher into the air. "Haos and Pyrus, light this place up! Ventus and Aquos, help me dispel the clouds! Darkus and Subterra, stand your ground and be ready to fight!" There was a minute of confusion, then several answering voices rent the air with their calls. I heard Staryans activating Abilities, and the sound of pounding feet, scuttling legs and beating wings. More fires and light emerged from the hearts of the Pyrus gadgets and the Haos Bakugan, giving off just enough radiance to guide the Ventus and Aquos Bakugan to me, while the Darkus and Subterra Bakugan went to hold off the sudden Sektarii onslaught.

Those Ventus and Aquos Bakugan capable of flight now hovered in the air beside Nova and I, while those who weren't, at my signal, transferred the larger portion of their power to their flying counterparts: we'd need all the energy we could get. Then we were off, darting up high once again, only this time we stopped short a few metres below the cloud blanket.

"Ready?" I called to the enormous group of Bakugan gathered with me. A superfluity of acquiescence reached my ears, and I nodded and loaded a couple of cards into my BakuPod. "Double Ability—Activate!" I roared. "Water Manipulation, plus Blow Away!" As the rest of the Bakugan joined in with their own Abilities, Nova first used his energy to diffuse the cloud sheet up into countless smaller clouds, then released a harsh gust of wind that sent them tumbling out of the way. More Abilities took effect, and soon the cloud barrier was disseminated completely.

Up above, the sky still looked bizarre, but the moon had come out, and I saw the twinkling of stars. According to my watch, it was midnight now, but that didn't matter: as the moonbeams shone gently down, light pervaded the battlefield below, and we could see again. Only that wasn't such a good thing, because now we realised what had been making the drumming sound. It was a great host of Sektarii, armed with massive guns: the reserves.

_So... _I thought numbly, as missiles filled the air and we were forced to scatter wildly to avoid being hit. _This is how I die._

Several Bakugan were caught in the beams of an intense laser ray and spiralled lifelessly to earth, bodies smoking. I called for the others to land, and land we did, finding things below to be complete, arrant pandemonium. The new legions of Sektarii had marched right ahead and were now overwhelming us. It seemed that they were much better organised than we had supposed. The few of us who remained were fighting back valiantly, but there was nothing in this world that could help us gain victory now. We were lost.

I dismounted from Nova's neck and began to fire, losing track of my guardian for a minute. There was a screech to my left, and I saw Kefira drop to the ground. Before I could react, a huge projectile crashed into the ground near me and the resultant explosion sent me and several others flying. I heard Roximor bellowing something about the Rune from some place nearby, heard Kate screaming, heard dozens of other voices shouting and the sharp _zing _of lasers whizzing to meet their unfortunate targets...

And then everyone halted as one voice, _Nova's_ voice, rang out in a shrill, piercing cry that carried astoundingly from one end of the ruins to the other.

"THE SKY!" he shrieked. "LOOK AT THE SKY! IT'S BEING _RIPPED TO PIECES!_"

We all looked up, and saw a terrible thing. The firmament was splitting, as cloth does at the seams. It was collapsing with a terrible, unnatural rending sound, into a dark, unending void—a mar in the heavens, a fell atrocity against the nature of the dimension itself. We continued to gaze in horror as the skies were torn asunder and the void grew steadily larger, spreading out further and further as though to wanting to swallow up the whole of Starsector.

"_Thisss isss it." _I heard an awe-struck Sektarus murmur behind me. _"The dessstruction of our world."_

"The dimensions are destroying each other..." I found myself saying, not taking my eyes from the still-growing void before me. "Starlight and Shadowsector cannot exist together in this way. Light and darkness are becoming one, and they have triggered the coming of the Apocalypse for us all. Starsector is at its end."

As the void grew, and we kept staring, I felt Nova press up next to me. "What are we going to do, Phyra?" he asked in a low voice.

I didn't look at him. "Nothing." I answered sombrely. "There's nothing we _can_ do to prevent this level of devastation. If Fate has laid such a path for us all, then we can only follow it and hope that our destiny brings us to the Next World."

"What do you mean by that, exactly?" Nova asked, puzzled.

"Well," I began, frowning slightly at how unusual it was to be explaining my cultural beliefs to my guardian Bakugan a few minutes before we all of us were to die. "It's sort of hard to explain, but the thing is, no matter how we seem to refer to Fate, we're not talking about a deity, or a person, or a thing or force or anything like that. All we're really referring to is our belief that everything happens for a reason, and everyone has a set path in life.

"Fate _is _the Ever-Changing Path, and we can walk Him in any way we choose, making our own decisions at every turn, bump and fork He presents us. We cannot know which way is the right way to follow Him, only that if we do so correctly, then we will fulfil our destiny properly.

"At the time of our death, we are taken from our material bodies and sent to cross the Bridge. If we've walked the Path as we were meant to, then we are guaranteed safe crossing into the Next World, where we will be happy for all eternity. If we've followed the Path badly, however, made the wrong decisions and not dealt with the consequences as we should, then the crossing will be much harder, and we may slip and fall into the Chasm, where we will endure a slow and ceaseless death forever. That about sums it up."

"You're all potty." Nova stated flatly. I didn't take offence at this, though, as I knew he didn't really mean it. He was just trying to find a way to express his unusual state of bewilderment. I knew this because I'd felt the very same way when I'd asked my dad about it at the age of seven.

"_Dad, what _is _Fate?" I wondered._

_Dad smiled. "Well, Phyra," he started to explain, "Fate is the Path... ...destiny is our end... ...if we procure the means to this end and apply them correctly, we will cross the Bridge safely... ...if not, we will likely fall..."_

"_...We're all potty."_

_He laughed. "That might be your own take on it, and fair enough. But just remember, Phyra: everything happens for a purpose. Everything that will_ _happen in the future will be for a purpose. And everything that has ever happened in the history of the universe was for a purpose."_

"_Even the time I set my hair on fire and Mum had a cow?"_

_He chuckled again. "Yes, even the time you set your hair on fire and Mum had a cow."_

I smiled faintly, and said, "Perhaps. But I don't feel particularly potty, so I'm not worried."

Nova, however, seemed to be thinking hard about something. "Destiny." he said at last. "That reminds me of something..."

I finally brought myself around to looking at him. "What?" I questioned.

Nova didn't answer straight away. I could practically see the wheels of his mind turning as he looked up at the void ahead, which had now just about wholly engulfed the sky. "Remember what Genesis Dragonoid said?" he said at last.

"Three things..." I said slowly, wondering where this was going. "Firstly, both you and Darcell will be stronger the next time you meet."

"Secondly, don't be afraid to embrace your destiny." Nova said solemnly. "Do you know what that means?"

I shook my head, trying to fight down a sense of foreboding that was rising in me. "What?" I asked, feeling my voice crack slightly.

"When you said just then," began Nova, "that there was nothing we could do to stop this void eating up our dimensions...you were wrong. There is _one _thing that can bring order out of chaos at this moment: the power of the Infinity and Silent Cores, the perfectly balanced energy that runs through my veins. I must sacrifice myself to give it up."

"Have you gone off with the faeries!?" I burst out frantically, unable to comprehend the madness of this scheme. "How _could _you? Isn't there any other way?"

"No." Nova replied shortly, turning away.

I grabbed hold of his tail, bringing his attention back to myself. "Then let me come with you." I insisted fiercely. "I'm not going to let you kill yourself and leave me behind. We go together."

Nova's eyes filled to the brim with tears. "I'm touched," he said softly, lifting me up to meet him eye to eye, "but I can't let you do that. If I can give you and the others here a life to make up for those lost in the Hydranoid War, then I'll have paid for my cowardice. The dimensions will be restored, and everything will be as it should. You, on the other hand, don't need to throw your life away wantonly if there's anything I can do to prevent your death as it is. You're young, and you'd still have a future. It would be a waste."

"But everything _wouldn't_ be as it should!" I protested, almost in tears myself now. "_You_ wouldn't be here!"

"Phyra," said Nova, even quieter this time, "I've not got much time left anyway. Remember my precarious-perilous-unstable-touch-and-go-uneasy-p arlous constitution? I can feel my life slipping away from me even as we speak, and I'd rather this than a long, slow death, or whatever unknown agonies that void may have in store for us all."

I would have objected further, but Nova silenced me with a look. "Don't attempt to divert me from my destiny, Phyra." he warned. "I can tell it was all meant to be. You said it yourself earlier: everything happens for a reason. You mustn't try to stop me. I know now why I have survived this long, though I have undergone enough life-threatening experiences to turn any young man's hair grey. My life, which should have been forfeit the minute I turned against my kind, was preserved all along for this moment—the moment I may finally make amends for my pride, and save more lives than I could ever have saved had I lingered in Pyrus Space. Do you understand this?"

I tried to speak, but found that I couldn't open my mouth lest I start wailing like an infant. So I just nodded and tried to ignore the burning sensation around my eyes. Nova gave an odd smile. "Good." he said. "Then there is only one more thing I'd like to tell you, before I say goodbye."

"Yes?" I managed to get out, hating how weak my voice sounded.

"When my father last spoke to me, and called my name," Nova said, voice starting to tremble, "I didn't understand what he meant by _Novaakii_. I had never heard my own name spoken before that moment." Seeing a look of comprehension cross my face, he nodded. "You're right, I hadn't yet discovered my name. The moment I found it...was the moment I feel into your hands three years ago. The minute I felt your touch, I knew I'd found who I saw, and where I really belonged. That's not all, either. Do you know what my name means?" I shook my head. "My name," said Nova, "means _fiery star_. How about that? I am a Pyrus, you are a Staryan. Fiery star. Me and you."

I didn't really know what to say to this at first, so I just tried to be brave and smile as he put me down and spread out his wings. "I'll never forget you." I then said suddenly. "Never."

Nova smiled sadly back as he turned to go. "Nor I you, Phyra." he answered. "No matter where I end up after death, I'll always remember the boy who helped me to rediscover the joys of life when I thought I'd lost them. Farewell." And then he'd shot up into the air, flying higher and higher into the sky, wings sparkling in the moonlight as he flew faster and faster, becoming only a bright red blur whizzing through the air. He slowed as he approached the void, stopping dead-still in the air once he was but ten feet or so away from the dark hole's very centre. All eyes were on him as he lowered his head, murmuring something, and fashioned a long, narrow knife of solidified energy, sharp enough to slice through the hardest of armour. He raised his head again, and stared long and hard at the void. Then without looking back, he drove the knife wordlessly through his heart.

Blood spurted out of the wound, raining down in torrents, and as Nova's lifeless body began to drop from the sky, a queer, pearly liquid seeped out of the crimson stream and shot through the air into the void like metal to lodestone, drawn as it seemed by some undiscovered pull. It sparkled brightly in the air, changing colour as it went: silver, gold, white, silver, gold, white.

Then it was gone. Nova's body thudded to the ground, and his blood spattered all over the cobblestones. No one moved, or said anything. All was silent. And then the void stopped growing, and everything was still.


	40. Chapter Thirty-Nine: Quicksilver

**Chapter Thirty-Nine – The Shadow of Quicksilver**

For what seemed like several long years, the quiet and inertia continued—prolonged, as it were, by the fact that everyone, whether friend or foe, was waiting for something, though they knew not what.

At last, I could stand it no longer. I made my way swiftly over to where Nova's body lay, heedless of any eyes fixed on me, and knelt down beside the great dragon's head. "I don't know what you've done, Nova," I whispered to him, though I knew he heard me not, "but whatever it was, I think it's worked."

I stood up, and faced the crowd before me. I didn't look at any one individual Staryan, Sektarus or Bakugan. All I saw was a sea of non-distinct faces, all staring at me. I found myself thinking that now would probably be a good time to make some sort of patriotic speech to boost morale, but I couldn't seem to pull anything intelligible from my confused mess of thoughts and form it into something people would understand, so instead I stood there and watched.

I watched as the spell over the crowd seemed to break by degrees, and a ripple of movement swept through that sea of faces like a stone dropped in water. I watched as people began to whisper, and Staryans and Bakugan began to edge distrustfully away from the Sektarii. And I watched as from the crowd emerged several figures, who came slowly over to stand by me: Kate, Jack, Rebecca, Captain Hackett, Kefira—who looked none the worse for her earlier fall—and Cynfael. My friends.

"Where are Mikael and Roximor?" I asked in a low voice as they approached.

Kate gave me a look, and shook her head. "Gone." she said shortly, a tear welling up in her eye. "They're dead." Any other time, I'd have felt an unpleasant shock run through me, and I'd have tried to voice my feelings. But I'd already gone through this shock countless times that day, and I knew that I didn't need to say anything. So I just nodded wearily to show that I understood, and that was enough.

"Er, Sergeant?" Hackett ventured quietly. "I know this isn't the best timing in the world, but what are we to do about all these Sektarii? They might turn savage and start picking us off any minute."

"No," I said, wondering why I felt so certain. "No, I don't think they're going to do that, somehow." Hackett gave a perplexed nod, and fell silent. We turned to Nova, and I suspect that someone would have indeed begun making a speech had not there been a sudden, bright flash of light from above.

In unison, we all of us—and the crowd too—looked up. The void was closing, and the sky was regaining its vibrant colours of before—certainly a pleasant change compared to the earlier darkness. That wasn't all, though: two bright specks of light were emerging from within the void, growing larger as they came nearer, in colours of silver and gold. Closer they came, and still closer, until out into Starsector's heavens had arrived the Cores of Infinity and Silence.

Now, I felt, was the time to speak. "Behold," I said, oddly surprised at how far my voice carried through the ruined town, "the Infinity and Silent Cores of Vestroia. Novaakii's sacrifice has summoned them forth from the Doom Dimension, and here they have come to aid us in restoring stability to our dimension. Novaakii has won this fight, though the price of victory was death. May we honour his triumph by setting aside our differences and putting a hold on this battle—at least until the dimension is set right. Then the general bloody onslaught can continue. What do you say to that, all of you?"

A wave of muttering from the crowd arose. The Staryans and Bakugan seemed happy enough to pause the battle for a bit, as it seemed, but there were a few dissents from some of the Sektarii, as was no doubt to be expected. "I don't suppose," I said, astonished to find a wry smile playing about my lips as I reached into my pocket, "a bit of...monetary compensation would suffice in helping bring you around to my point of view?"

I produced what was left of the chocolate I'd purchased earlier, and offered it to the Sektarus General. He turned to converse with his fellows a moment, then nodded curtly and came forward to accept the gift. _"You got yerssself a deal, boy," _he growled, _"but jussst remember—thisss isssn't peace, and we're not done fighting yet."_

"I'll remember that." I said, keeping my face expressionless. Then I looked back up at the two cores, wondering what would happen next. To my surprise, they started glowing queerly, and then going back the way they'd come. "What in Aunt Clarice's Pudding—" I started, taken aback, but then Kate nudged me.

"Look," she said, pointing. "Look up at the Central Octagon."

I strained to see the vast, mountain-like dome towering off in the distance. When I'd fixed my eyes on it properly, I saw it too. A thin, wispy stream of light particles, all glittering in different colours of the rainbow, was issuing from within the Octagon. It emerged from some unknown fissure in the mount's surface, and was making its way over to follow the cores back through the void, growing longer and thicker as more and more particles came out. "Inner Space," I breathed. "It's been fractured into the innumerable millions of molecules that make up its mass and is travelling back to Vestroia."

The others nodded, and we watched the particle stream float gently behind the cores through the still-decreasing void, eventually tapering down to nothing. The cores had vanished now, and so had Inner Space. The void continued to lessen, becoming smaller and smaller until it was merely a black circle in the sky perhaps ten or fifteen yards in diameter.

It wasn't until we were sure that this ending was going to be completely anticlimactic that I spotted something _new _coming out of the rapidly closing void: a flash of red, orange and yellow. A tongue of fire. Dozens of gleaming eyes. Then, before you could say _What the hell is going on?_, out of the void streamed about a hundred and fifty Pyrus Bakugan, shepherded by none other than Genesis Dragonoid himself.

The void closed up slowly behind these Bakugan, who landed gracefully on the ground before us all as the sun finally peeped up above the horizon, and a new day dawned upon Starsector. I stared and stared, and so did everyone else.

Except for Jack, who managed to be the first to speak. "What the hell is going on?" he asked, a few seconds too late.

A slightly uncomfortable pause followed, but it didn't last very long. "In response to your question," Genesis Dragonoid replied in Reimish, with a wide smile on his face, "I bring forth no lecture, only a few simple statements. Rejoice, therefore!" He looked around at all the questioning faces, and then with a slight chuckle, added, "But perhaps I ought to introduce myself properly first." A flap of his segmented wings brought him a few metres into the air, where everyone could see him properly. "To those who may not recognise me," said he, "I am the original Dragonoid, Genesis. I am one of the first two Bakugan Code Eve ever created, and I am the forefather of all the Bakugan born in Vestroia as it is today."

Thinking Genesis Dragonoid had finished, one or two randoms started to applaud, but Genesis Dragonoid just smiled and held up a hand. "Thank you," he acknowledged, "but I have yet to announce the reasons for my coming here from beyond the Mortal Borders. Let me proceed, then, and inform you all of, as you care to phrase it, _what the hell has just happened_." He gave Jack a winning smile before continuing. "As you have just witnessed, Novaakii, Pyrus Galactic Dragonoid, has paid the ultimate price and freed all three of our dimensions from their state of conflict. Not only has the Apocalypse stayed its hand for the present and countless lives been saved, but also, Vestroia is no longer entrapped within the depths of Starsector—and Starsector itself is rescued from what would have been a terrible end. See, Starlight and Shadowsector are being restored!"

Genesis Dragonoid gesticulated around him. We all took a good look about, and found his words to be true. The Star beneath us was shifting within the Sector, the Outer Rim fading to nothing. The sky was receding from its earlier vivid plethora of shades into a great blazing golden-white light area that followed us and the Star, and a deep, profound darkness that stayed behind over the Sector.

As this great change took place, the Sektarii glanced at each other and then dispersed in twos and threes, hurrying out of what remained of Novernford, scuttling down the tip of the Northwest Arm, and retreating into the their everlasting night, the darkness they so loved. We Staryans and Bakugan remained in the Celestial Land, rejoicing in the safe splitting of the three dimensions, and thanking Fate for the narrow escape we'd all had.

When the general cheering had started to die down, Genesis Dragonoid held up his hands for silence again, smiling more broadly than ever. "Yes indeed," he proclaimed, "this is truly a happy event. But I have news, now, that will render it even happier. Novaakii's action did more than he could ever have guessed, for when the perfect energy inside him travelled through the void, some of it was brought over into the Nether World, final resting place of the Bakugan who escape the miserable clutches of the Doom Dimension. As this happened, the energy entered my core and gave me the ability to travel back through space to the power's source: Novaakii. So here I came, to fulfil my final promise to him, and I brought with me all the Pyrus Bakugan who, having _solestia _placed in the Hall of Souls, had been spared the torments of the Doom Dimension. While I myself must return back whence I came, those who have accompanied me may stay, thus I may declare to you all that the Bakugan of Fire have returned—for good."

Loud and plentiful was the jubilation and exulting that followed this speech, and soldiers near and far began to feel a bit of relief—though not wholly, as we'd all been through a shocking ordeal, and there was still the rounding up of survivors and the counting of the dead to do. Meanwhile, the Pyrus Bakugan now surged forward and began to greet the others of the remaining Attributes, who welcomed all the lost with open arms.

I noticed, however, that there were two Bakugan who _weren't_ joining in the celebrations: a pair of Pyrus Dragonoids, one smaller and more delicate than the other, who were standing over where Nova lay, and mourning in silence. After a moment, I recognised them to be what remained of Nova's family: Delta and his mother. I felt a sudden jolt of excruciating sadness for them, thinking how awful it would be to return from this Nether World, wherever that might have been, in the hopes of seeing your son or brother, only to find out that he was dead.

I then wondered where Hylar might be—and then I remembered that Kyroah'rhas's men had stolen his _solestia_, and so he was doomed to linger in the dimension of death and darkness forever. A few weeks ago, I'd have probably felt angry at yet another reminder of Kyroah'rhas's evil-doings. But Kyroah'rhas was dead, and I'd been through a great deal since the moment I'd killed him. I knew, somehow, that memories of him wouldn't bother me any more.

My thoughts were interrupted as Genesis Dragonoid approached me. "You don't look as happy as you ought to be, little one." he said gently, lifting me up to sit on his shoulder and taking me a short way away from the others. "What's bothering you?"

I looked at him, genuinely surprised. "How could I possibly be happy?" I asked incredulously. "My guardian just died—_again_."

"Ah," Genesis Dragonoid sighed. "That is a hard burden to bear for one who has only just reached manhood." I remained silent and looked down at my shoes, not having anything useful to say in reply. "However," Genesis Dragonoid continued, diverting my attention back to him, "I would ask of you in response—how could you possibly _not _be happy? It was a brave thing Novaakii did, and he did it for _you _just as much as anyone else. More, I'd even venture to guess."

I thought about this for a moment, and decided he was right. But that didn't really help the fill in the dark, empty hole that had torn me apart. I looked about, wondering what other subject to speak on. I saw Kate and the others gathered around the distant bodies of Mikael and Roximor, and felt another pang—this time not just for myself, but for allwho had lost loved ones in this sordid tangle of wars and murders.

The dimensions, it seemed, had finally finished splitting. All traces of the Sector had vanished, and a new barrier was being formed slowly where it had last been seen. I just hoped that _this _one would be stronger, for the Sektarii were filled with malice, and were unlikely to forget us in a hurry. I dreaded to think what would happen if our races were ever brought together again. We didn't need a rehash of what had happened between Lord Twattar and Laydayas Cayuuntash...

"I was wondering," I ventured hesitantly, "if you could give me _the bond_ talk my father spoke of."

"What?" Genesis Dragonoid smiled. "You mean the one about James Bond?"

"No," I said patiently, "the one about the connection Nova and I shared. I know he's gone now, but I've decided I want to hear it after all. This question—the question of three parts...it might not be relevant any longer, but perhaps the answer still is."

"I see," Genesis Dragonoid said. "Well, in that case, four things I must tell you." He drew in a long breath. "Marry!" he exclaimed in archaic fashion. "You two are joined by something Code Eve called the _Switch Code_. In some obscure places this is known as Solidarity, in others, The Power of Waffle. In your realm, it would be more commonly referred to as friendship.

"Moreover, any Bakugan can battle with any Brawler. However, every Bakugan has only one specific Brawler who shares the Switch Code with it. This Brawler is the only one who is able to unlock the Bakugan's true powers to their fullest extent. Thus is the Switch Code also referred to as the_ Key_—not the Key to the Cores, mark you. That was something entirely different.

"Secondarily, my true descendants and those of Dharaknoid possess something further: the _Original DNA_, also referred to as the Ultimate Warrior Gene, and sometimes called the Gate.

"Sixth and lastly, it is too late for you and Nova, but you should know that any Brawler and Bakugan who possess such a Gate and Key are able, if they are experienced enough, to combine such things properly, to summon forth unknown powers of an entirely new kind—Abilities in their highest potency, you might say.

"Thirdly—and this is important—Novaakii was likely not the only one to have this Original DNA. It is more than possible that others in his family might possess it, too.

"To conclude, Brawler, you and Nova were linked by the most prodigious of circumstances. It is a very great honour to have been destined for a partnership with one of my line (but not of Dharaknoid's, cos he was a right stuck-up little prig). But you must remember that this is not a one-of-a-kind position, and Novaakii's family ought to be checked for traces of Original DNA. You never know, someday another Brawler and Bakugan may come together and use the power of the Gate and Key to save the universe from some other future predicament... Let's hope that won't be required, though, eh? Is that enough information for you?"

I nodded slowly, my mind reeling at what I had just heard. Nova and I had had the potential for even _more_ power? That was extraordinary to think about... But it didn't matter any more. Nova was dead and gone forever, and any heights we might have reached together were now impossible to get to. On the other hand...what was the question, then? I'd heard about the bond, the trance and the last words of Hylar, so I should have had the answer. Yet the answer as a whole made little sense without the question as a whole...

Genesis Dragonoid looked closely at me for a moment, and then sighed and put me down. "Well," said he, "it's time for us to go."

"What?" I asked.

Genesis Dragonoid's face was the very picture of sadness as he said, "We don't belong in this world, Phyra. Starlight is restored to its former glory, Shadowsector is shut off from the light forever, and Vestroia is as it ought to be. We Bakugan have played our part, but it is time for me to return to the Nether World, and time for my kindred to go home."

"But are you saying...?" I trailed off, knowing what came next, but unable to utter it.

"You're right," said Genesis Dragonoid. "We won't be returning, I'm sorry. There's no need of it any more, and the balance of things is rendered unsteady when our worlds collide. It's for the best." He turned, and announced to everyone what he had just told me. At first there was shocked silence. Then murmuring, then a great wave of bitter happiness. We were finished. The war was over for good. But now it was time to say farewell to our friends.

Genesis Dragonoid spread his wings and flew out to the borders of Novernford. There he stretched his arms out wide and began to chant something to himself. Nothing happened immediately, but after a moment there came on the horizon a new light, unlike that of the Celestial Land's natural radiance: a brilliant rainbow glittering, which seemed very familiar...

"What's he doing?" someone asked from behind me.

"He's..." I squinted, unsure for a second, and then it hit me. "He's opening up the rift." I breathed. "It's remained here all this time, and now he's widening the gap for all the Bakugan to travel back to Vestroia." And so he was. Soon enough, a huge portal—at least a hundred times bigger than the ones Kate and I had used for Operation Vestroia—was now set in front of us, at the very tip of the Arm.

"The rift is opened!" Genesis Dragonoid shouted to the Bakugan. "You must hurry through, however, for it will soon close!" The Bakugan all stirred slightly, then the resurrected Pyrus Bakugan began to lead the way through. Soon the air was full of flapping wings and speeding bodies, and the ground trembled with thudding feet. I hastened over to my small group of friends, who were about to see our few remaining Bakugan off.

"I'll miss you," Jack was saying unhappily to Cynfael.

"Well I certainly won't miss _you_." Cynfael replied with a snort. But a tear trickled down his cheek as he gave Jack a very dangerous hug.

Kefira seemed to be having trouble finding the words to express herself, for the first time since I'd met her. "It's alright," I said to her. "Mikael would have been happy to see you home." Kefira nodded sadly, then spread out her wings with a half-hearted "Flogsin-durkwoggle man with the five heads and the elderberry bush full of kippers derpinstein ducklets", and set off to join the others.

"What will we do with all our Bakugan technology?" Duckford asked of Hackett, peering intently at the captain through his spectacles.

"We'll keep it," Hackett said heavily, "on display in the military museum, as a reminder of all our races have been through." The two of them nodded stately, having come to such a conclusion. Then Hackett noticed Jack holding Kate's hand as the two of them sat beside Roximor's great, furry body, and he went hastily over to hold her other hand. It was slightly sickening, and I looked away to find myself facing Rebecca.

"So," she said, hiccuping slightly, "looks as though it wouldn't have done any good bringing back Preyas and the others after all, huh? They'd only have gone away again anyhow." I knew that this was flawed logic, in that there was still the matter of whether the Bakugan would have been happy or not, but I knew that she didn't really mean what she was saying. Grief and brandy right before a hideous battle will do strange things to you. So I just smiled slightly and murmured an assent.

Next my attention was captured by Genesis Dragonoid tapping me on the shoulder. I looked at him expectantly. "I'd better be off now," he said quietly, "but before I leave, there's one more thing you should know: back when I appeared to Novaakii right before his evolution, I told him three things. Firstly, both he and Darcell would be stronger when next they met. Secondly, he must not be afraid to embrace his destiny...and thirdly, I would return again, with a gift for him. And so I have returned."

I took a moment to digest this, then objected, "But you're too late. Nova's dead."

"Nonetheless," Genesis Dragonoid smiled, "he has received his gift from me. Goodbye, Brawler, and rest easy from now on." He turned, and emitted a breath of white fire similar to that which Nova had released back in the Doom Dimension. A pure white portal opened before him and he entered through it, pausing to nod at me before vanishing from sight altogether. The portal closed quickly, and I was left to watch the last of the Bakugan return to their native dimension.

I went to crouch beside Kate and the others in front of Roximor. "How'd it happen?" I asked gently.

Kate shrugged, and gave an odd sort of smile for a moment. "It was pretty stupid, really." she said, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "There he was, giving us all some cryptic wisdom as usual, and then comes a laser out of nowhere and flies into his mouth while he's shouting. What a ludicrous way to be remembered." She pulled out a hanky and blew her nose.

I sighed, and gave her arm a squeeze. "I suppose we'd better stretcher him out of here—" I began.

"I'll do it." Jack and Captain Hackett said simultaneously.

I was only just able to resist face-palming. "Alright," I said. "You don't mind, do you, Kate?"

Kate shook her head. "Go ahead," she said thickly through the handkerchief. "I'll help you with Mikael if you like." I nodded, and we set to work.

"What can I do to help?" Rebecca asked anxiously, looking fairly sober by this stage.

"Stand there and look pretty." I said shortly, focused on lifting Mikael's body onto a stretcher. I could practically hear her rolling her eyes behind me as Kate and I took Mikael over to the casualty units. "He was only seventeen," I mused sadly, as we left. "Whatever will we say to his parents?"

Kate stopped walking at that, and frowned slightly. "His father works in the war office, Phyra." she said. "_He_ was the one encouraging Mikael and Nicholas to join the armed forces in the first place. They'll find out about it in the next few hours without our interfering."

"How do you know that?" I asked, taken aback.

"Mr Harbinger and his wife paid us a visit at headquarters after the boys and I returned from our mission in the Sector," Kate explained solemnly. "They'd come to deliver their thanks to me—and by extension, you, though you were still in the Doom Dimension with Rebecca at that time—for our rescuing Mikael from Kyroah'rhas. They'd been notified of his absence, as had Jack's parents, but the authorities hadn't known the identity of the abductor, of course, and the police were still busy scouring the Octagon while we were out in the Sector."

"But that would have been over a week after we got back from Kyroah'rhas's _palladium_," I objected. "What in the name of my Ever-Burnt Toast took them so long?"

"You know how the boys in archives are," Kate reminded me. "It always takes them an age to find any files on _any_thing. Mikael's parents didn't even know you and I _existed _until a few days ago."

"Well, you learn something new every day." I said, with the shadow of a smile. She nodded, and we went to rejoin Jack, Hackett, Duckford and Rebecca. Near us, a few Bakugan were still zipping through the rift, which had grown noticeably smaller by this stage. "We'll miss them all." I found myself voicing everyone's thoughts. The others nodded, and began to reminisce in low voices about the good times we'd shared with our Bakugan.

I turned slowly and began to walk away after a while. I don't think the others spotted me, or if they did, then they didn't follow. I wished with all my heart that I could have had the guts to say goodbye properly to Nova before he'd gone off to play the hero. A simple fare ye well would have meant a lot to him. His mother and Delta had taken his body back to Pyrus Space with them, so I couldn't even pay my respects to his grave in years to come...

"Phyra." I heard a deep, calm voice speak out behind me. "Phyra, it's me." I turned and saw a Bakugan. A huge, dark Bakugan, lit up spectacularly as the morning sun reflected dazzlingly upon his shining armour and gave his soft, feathered wings a warm glow.

I stood completely still, shocked beyond measure, and didn't say a word. He didn't look at all how he used to, but I recognised him all the same. After three years of mourning, longing, countless fights and eventually a time of peace, I was finally face to face, properly, with one whom I'd thought never to speak to again: Siege.

"What are you doing here?" I asked at last. "What's happened? Why do you look so different?"

Siege didn't reply at once. He looked at me for a good while first, as though drinking in the mere sight before him. I, likewise, took in his new appearance. Four wings now sprouted from his shoulders in an _X_ formation. Four more sets of smaller wings emerged from polished black gauntlets and greaves, making a total of twelve—the most I'd ever seen on any living creature. He still carried a staff, but instead of a diamond, it now had a pair of dark engraved snakes entwined around its head. "You've grown so much," he said wistfully after a moment, taking no heed of my questions. "You're so much older."

"Older," I said with a mirthless laugh. "Older, but not much wiser, I'm afraid. It seems as though I've grown upwards, but not up. No wonder others still think of me as a child."

"You don't look like a child to me." Siege observed. "You look like a young man on the brink of adulthood. The world around you seems daunting in its bigness, and you're confused, but still fairly sure of yourself. At any rate, you've evidently been through much since we last saw each other. Your eyes have all the signs of one who has seen and done a great many things."

I laughed again, this time with a strangely sad edge. "That may be," I said, thinking how strange it seemed to be talking to my old guardian after all this time, "and I've certainly seen and done more than I care to admit... But enough about me, I want to know more about _you._ For starters, I'm guessing you must have evolved somehow. Am I right?"

"You are." Siege replied. "I'm now Hermes Siegius, the Dark Knight."

"Dark Knight, huh?" I mused. "That reminds me of..." I broke off for a moment. "No..."

I could tell from Siege's eyes that he was smiling slightly. He stood fully erect and raised one arm, pointing up at the sky. "To the Batmobile!" he joked feebly. This time, however, I didn't laugh. I knew I wasn't going to feel comfortable with this frivolous discourse until I'd got the guilt of years off my chest once and for all. So I took a deep breath, and then spoke.

"I'm sorry I failed you." I said, looking him in the eye. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop you from dying. You don't know how much it—"

Siege cut me off with a dismissive wave. "You don't have to apologise to me, Phyra." he said, eyes filled with compassion. "You know I'd never hold a grudge against you. In fact—" He gave a short laugh. "—in a way, it was a _good _thing that happened to me. You see, I found my name through death."

"Your name?" I gasped. "Through _death?_"

Siege nodded. "Exactly," he said. "So I have you to thank, really. Or even Kyros, if we want to look at it in more direct terms." I couldn't seem to find the right words to reply to this off-hand comment. So instead I asked him what his name had turned out to be. He gave me a slightly jaunty look as he spoke. "Kaage," he said. "My name is Kaage, meaning _shadow_. Pree spunky, huh? But I was also known amongst my fellows as Quicksilver, because—well, Hermes being the mythical equivalent of Mercury and all that, plus the winged _sandals_ give me super speed 'n' shiz."

"Not bad," I said, smiling in earnest now, partly because he amused me, and partly out of relief. "In that case, I'll be sure and remember to call you either Kaage or Quicksilver—or even _the Shadow of Quicksilver_, if I feel especially poncy. But you still have a lot to make clear to me, you know—who these _fellows_ are, where you've been, how you evolved, and most importantly, how you came back. In short, geriatric terms—how now, Kaage? Fare ye well?"

Kaage chuckled, and sat down on a rock, hunching his many wings into more comfortable positions. "Wherever do I begin?" he wondered aloud.

"At the beginning," I suggested.

"Well," said he with a twinkle, "long ago, the universe was brought into being by the explosion caused by a certain cupcake, and The Great Chicken Who Laid The Egg That Hatched The Universe was born—only, as we all know, the Chicken actually _didn't _lay the Egg, since as we've just discussed, it was the cupcake who did it, and then—"

"Skip to the bit that really matters." I interrupted half-impatiently.

"I should jolly-well think the creation of the universe _does _matter a great deal!" Kaage retorted with an injured tone. "However," he added, softening, "recounting the unabridged history of the entire universe would take at least five minutes, and I've only got four, so perhaps—" He began to smile as he started quoting. "'—for simplicity's sake, let us assume that I am the centre of creation. In doing this, let us pass over innumerable boring stories: the rise and fall of empires, sagas of heroism, ballads of tragic love. Let us hurry forward to the only tale of any real importance.'" His smile broadened. "'Mine.'"


	41. Chapter Forty: The Time for War

**Chapter Forty – The Time for War**

"My name is Kaage, pronounced nearly the same as _car-gay_. Names are important as—"

"Get on with it?" I pleaded.

"Alright," Kaage grumbled. "Well, I'll begin from the point where Kyros dropped me into that accursed device of his. I could hear you yelling, but the glass around me muffled your words. Then a harsh white light burst out all around me, and I felt...horrible. Pain was stabbing at me all over my body, and I couldn't hear anything except for my own screams.

"I wasn't even aware of what I was yelling—I only knew that shout after shout was wrenching itself from my throat, whether I willed it or no, and I couldn't think straight through the suffocating agony that engulfed me." He ruffled his wings slightly, as though shivering at the memory, and then continued. "Then I felt an odd looseness about my body, and for a fraction of a second, I was aware that I was breaking up, disintegrating beneath the power of the deadly rays that assailed me.

"After that, all was darkness. I thought for a single, confused moment that I heard someone speaking. An odd, disembodied voice that I didn't recognise was booming in my ear, yet I couldn't place where it was issuing from, or hear the words it spoke.

"And then I felt something hit me. There was a bright flash of light, and then blackness and stark, empty silence for a while. I don't know how long, exactly. It could have been a few seconds, or a few centuries, but it was enough time for me to realise how utterly lonely I was, how terrible my time ahead—if indeed I had any—would be. Next thing I knew, I was sitting up, and the darkness had faded to a deep grey, and my wings hurt. I tried moving them, but they'd been paralysed, it seemed, by a fall and a heavy landing. In my confused state, I thought maybe I'd been tricked into jumping off the roof of the Rookery by some Master Namer. Then I remembered that the Rookery doesn't actually exist, and I'd never met a Master Namer.

"I stood up, and looked around. It didn't take a genius to figure out where I was, for all Bakugan have heard the many terrible stories, and lived in fear of the place from a young age. I was doomed to a world of darkness, imprisoned within the place we dread most. I was facing my eternal demise, I'd fallen within the maw of Hell. Insert twenty other ominous and synonymous statements here." Kaage looked at me, and said, "Give you one guess."

I didn't need to think twice. "The Doom Dimension."

He nodded gravely, and said, "Correct. Five points to Gryffindor. Now—"

"But..." I was unable to stop myself from interrupting. "I travelled to the Doom Dimension, and was stuck there for whatever period of eternity amounts to one week in Starsector, and I never saw you anywhere! Granted, we didn't exactly scour the place inch by inch, but you'd think we'd have spotted you somewhere..."

"Patience, young grasshopper or whatever the hell the thing is," Kaage replied. "All will be revealed in good time. Now, when I came to the realisation of where I was, I was hit pretty hard with the fear and anguish you'd expect...but after a while of sitting around and moping, I realised that if I was going to rot away here, I might as well make good use of the little time I had left to move about freely and easily—my useless wings notwithstanding. So I wandered for a long period, and then I came upon a trio of Bakugan who seemed not to have been affected by Doom Energy. They called themselves Eve's Messengers, and said that their job was to bring hope to the hopeless of the dimension, those with good hearts who deserved not their sentence.

"All three Messengers are female, and as diverse as you could imagine. The first, Sol, is a Haos Bakugan. She wears robes of gold, and is bent like an elderly woman. Underneath this disguise, however, she is a great serpent, taller than the tallest building, though centuries old and very wise—not particularly given to battle. Her special charges, she said, are those who would go down in history as great heroes.

"Next there is Artemis, a Darkus Bakugan. She is clad in silver, and very small and delicate. The youngest of them all, she is a fair and delicate thing, something like a snow-white kitten in true form, though terribly fierce and bloodthirsty when aroused. Hers are the people of tomorrow, the young, those who would have shaped the future had they not been doomed at such tender ages.

"Finally there is Gaia, a Subterra Bakugan in robes of deep mud and mossy green. She is in the flower of her adulthood, and very stern. She, as she really is, looks like a great eagle, with golden eyes that look out at Vestroia beyond the dimensional borders and see always confusion and chaos. She is perpetually angered at the acts of evil committed by Bakugan day to day, and her wrath is terrible to look upon. However, when she sees rare sparks of goodness and innocence in the worlds, her smile is the most beautiful thing ever to behold. Hers are the beings of today, who do good in nearly every waking moment of their lives, with no thought of reward save to be loved—and she does love them, more than they can ever know.

"Together these three watch for the righteous being doomed unjustly, or sent to the dimension on improper terms, and prevent innocence from entering fully into the world of pain and punishment. If any Bakugan who has never in their life harmed another should fall within reach of the Doom Energy's snares, these three rush to that Bakugan's aid and grant them Eve's blessing, endowing them with hope and happiness while the unworthy have only doom and despair. These Bakugan, the guiltless—though only a few there be—are furnished with a light in the darkness, a life amongst death. Oh, they cannot escape the Doom Dimension, sure, but they may be allowed to stay without suffering, and that is enough."

"You don't think the _Nonets _received any such blessing, do you?" I wondered, feeling shocked at the very notion.

"Indeed not," Kaage snorted. "Everyone knows of the many great evils the Nonets brought on Vestroia. No, I suspect they are not reached by Doom Energy because in a sense, they were born from it. They are like the very essence of evil—worse than Kyros or Darcell or even Dharaknoid himself."

"They didn't seem so bad when _we_ met them." I objected.

"I rather think they're getting bored." Kaage confided. "However, that is not the point of the story. In any case, I met the Messengers, and I asked them if there was anything they could do for me. It was Gaia who consented. She said that though I hadn't been outstandingly great, I hadn't harmed anyone save in honourable battle. So she gave me her blessing, and I felt immediately better—even my wings healed up. They said goodbye, and I watched them go off to seek other worthy souls to aid.

"It was a nice enough encounter, but I still wished for someone to talk to. So I went flying off to try and find some sort of companion. I came upon a few other Darkus Bakugan, and introduced myself. They, unlike me, were showing the effects of the Doom Dimension in some pretty grotesque ways, but we got on alright for the present. I talked with them of life in Vestroia for a while, but it wasn't really the best of topics to dwell on in such a place. So we gave it up and I engaged them in some friendly battles. We had a competition of sorts, and during the process, I evolved to my most advanced form. It was then, of course, that they began to call me Quicksilver.

"We had some pretty good times there, or as good as could be expected in such a place, but that all changed after a while, for they soon succumbed to the Doom Energy's full effects, and turned to statues. Now they were frozen in place—still living, but just barely, unable to move, to think, to feel...to do anything but remember. I left that place, and went on in solitude for a time. It was when I was exploring a mysterious cave that I came upon a strange tunnel—and what would be my downfall, in a sense. It was unusually light in that tunnel, and after the bleak darkness of outside, I wasn't used to the glare.

"I slipped on a rock, and unconsciously entered what is known as the Current of Time—a queer flow of light, a passage to unknown destination, steeped in undiscovered powers. Not being fully in control of my actions at that point, I wasn't able to control what happened next, or try to direct these powers around me. I was trapped, and there I lay for so long, it seemed, that I lost track of time altogether and let the moments pass me by, unheeding. I was not harmed, per Eve's blessing, but that couldn't help me get free, and so I gave up trying. I suspect that is where I was when you came to the Doom Dimension, Phyra. Now, as to how I escaped..." He checked to make sure I was listening closely, and once satisfied, went on.

"Not an hour ago, by my reckoning, I was still frozen within that current, when a Bakugan appeared in front of me. He was Pyrus, but that didn't surprise me much, since I'd seen a few Pyrus Bakugan here and there throughout the dimension already. What _did _surprise me about him was the fact that he seemed to recognise me from somewhere, though I was convinced I'd not ever seen him before.

"'Are you Siege?' he asked.

"'I've gone by that name in times past,' I answered, 'but I'm Kaage now.'

"'Never mind that,' he answered, seeming preoccupied with some other matter, 'but tell me, do you know one Phyra Vyander, of Starsector?' Imagine my surprise when he spoke your name, Phyra! I didn't understand it at all, but I confirmed that I'd known you—that I'd been your guardian Bakugan once upon a time.

"This Pyrus seemed slightly saddened, and said quietly, 'I can see why he thinks about you so often. There's something about you that's very...memorable.' He seemed to be steeling himself for something, or fighting some inner battle with an opposing urge—I don't know, but whatever he was dealing with, he dealt with it soon enough, and then spoke again. 'My name is Nova,' said he, 'and I have been given the gift, from Genesis Dragonoid himself, of salvation—that is, to restore one Bakugan from this bleak place to the world of the living, before I make my way into the Nether World...and I've chosen you, Kaage. Will you accept?'

"My heart filled to bursting with joy at being able to have another chance at life, and I seized it at once, thanking this Nova for his generosity in singling me out above everyone else in the dimension, even his Pyrus kindred. He nodded to me, and then without warning I felt myself being surrounded by fire. This fire was brighter and hotter than any I'd ever come across before, and yet it didn't hurt. The next thing I knew, I was leaving the darkness behind, and then rushing through a tunnel of sparkling lights, and then I found myself here in Starsector—or, I should say, what _used _to be Starsector. Evidently a lot has changed since I left, not least you, Phyra. When I saw you for the first time since death, I thought to myself, _he's so very different to how he was before_.

"Of course, physically speaking, I myself have changed a great deal more than you, but on personal terms, I believe I'm just the same as I ever was. You, on the other hand, have gone through much, and are no longer that carefree, happy young boy I left behind me. Perhaps that's not such a bad thing, in a way, but I regret not being here to witness the change for myself."

"Don't regret it," I found myself joking. "It wasn't pretty."

He laughed gently, then said, "You've something on your mind. What might it be?"

"An answer I have, but no question," I said, shrugging my shoulders helplessly. "I've had three questions concerning Nova and myself..." I took a moment to relate to him in brief the talks I'd had with my father's memory, Hylar and Genesis Dragonoid. "Each of these questions has been answered," I then went on, "and yet I'm told the answers form a whole, which answers a further, deeper question...only I just don't know what that question is."

"I do," said Kaage, to my surprise. "It's a question we all have to face, and I found it in the afterlife, in hindsight. Hindsight is one of the worst ways to look at a thing, of course, but it's usually better than not looking at all."

"And just what is this question, then?" I asked.

"I think," said he with a smile, "you always knew what it was...but I'll voice it anyway. What are you here for?"

I thought about this carefully. "I don't know," I answered, confused.

"Yes you do," Kaage chided. "Think—what do all your answers have in common? You and Nova, that's what. And what did you and Nova bring about, together? Peace and stability to the dimensions. All your questions were just part of the bigger picture. You and Nova were brought together to restore Starlight and Vestroia to order, and to quell the fighting and unsettlement between the Staryans and Sektarii. Just think on it for a moment. If you hadn't spoken Hylar's last words, you and Nova would likely have died, and the Key would have been lost. If you hadn't killed Kyroah'rhas, he would have eventually succeeded in eliminating you, Phyra, and bringing the Key to Darcell. And if you and Nova didn't share the Switch Code, then you'd never have been powerful enough to make it this far. In short, Phyra, you were both here for a purpose, and Fate saw that you filled that purpose."

"Golly," I murmured, astounded by this information. "Who'd have thought it?"

"Indeed," was the reply, "but here's the most mind-boggling part: Nova is gone. He played his part well, and has made his exit...but you're still here. Do you know what that means?" I shook my head. "It means," he said solemnly, "that you have yet to fully serve your purpose. You've done well thus far, but you're not finished here. You still have your Path to finish, and you have to trust that you'll make it. So here's the next question: what are you here for _now?_" He winked as bewilderment touched my features, and added, "Don't worry, you'll figure that one out. Eventually." I found myself gathered without warning into a hug—rendered somewhat awkward by our respective sizes. "I think you know what has to happen now." Kaage said, setting me down again. "You understand it's for the best, don't you?"

"I lost you once," I choked out somehow, "and I just about overcame it. I imagine I'll cope with losing you again, though this time I won't have Nova to help me through the rough patches."

"You'll find someone else," Kaage said gently, "and this time you'll know I'm safe in my own home, won't you? Just remember, I'll be thinking of you, and I hope you'll be thinking of me from time to time."

"Of course," I said, trying and failing to keep up a smile. "I will."

"Thank you," he said, "and from here, I imagine that there is no more to be said, save for one word each." I nodded, and we both said, "Goodbye." And then he had spread his wings and was speeding towards the rift, which was very nearly closed. No other Bakugan remained in Starlight by this time, and so when Kaage had flown through, and the rift closed, and the sun risen to its highest, I was left alone on the bloodstained streets, while other Staryans around me continued to clean up after the battle.

As the low hum of activity rose slowly in the air, I paid it no heed. My thoughts were occupied, and not with Kaage, but with Nova. _Nova chose who he chose for _me_. _I thought. _He chose my old guardian above all others in the Doom Dimension, even his own father, just so I could be happy. _This proved to be too much for me in my shaken state. Without meaning to, I sat abruptly down on a rock and wept.

* * *

It was evening by the time the army had dispersed and the ruins of Novernford were largely emptied. As the last of the officers went back home or to headquarters, I heard snippets of conversation concerning what was happening back in Reim. Apparently the king and his advisors were currently holding a meeting on how to rework the economy to fit our new situation, while the general civilian public was engaged in throwing wild parties all over the Star to celebrate the end of the war.

I, however, couldn't seem to find it in myself to leave the bloodied streets of Novernford just yet, so as my friends said goodbye one by one and left to regale each other with such delicacies as potted dolphin cutlets in mayonnaise and grated Arcturan Mega-Donkey, I continued to sit on my rock and stare out at the scarlet cobblestones which were still laden with corpses, severed limbs and spilled innards. The sight didn't shock me. On the contrary, I was so moody, I barely noticed the horrors of the field at all.

The sun began to set, for Starlight is not entirely without darkness, as I've said before. Where there is a source of light, there is shade, and to quote Darcell, without contrast, the absolute is meaningless. So darkness we have in the Celestial Land, as the absence of light rather than the presence of shadows, and even then, the night skies are unfailingly pierced by the millions of stars, and lit up by the light of the moon. No clouds are ever present to mar the beauty of the starlight for which our dimension was named.

As the sky turned red-orange, like fire, the whole world looked as through it were covered in blood, and I was once more reminded of Nova, and how he'd saved us, and how I'd never see him again. _You'll find someone else_, Kaage had said, but how would I—how _could _I ever find someone to take the place of both Nova _and _Kaage?

I looked down at my hands, and saw that they were covered in dried blood and dirt from the battle. In fact, my whole body, my uniform was in the same state. Things had been so hectic recently, and I'd been so caught up in my own thoughts that I'd not noticed. I didn't even have the heart to check the state of my hair. I knew it probably looked horrible, though, and that made me feel more like a Marvin than ever.

"Still here?" a voice said from behind me. I turned slowly, not really caring who it was, and saw Rebecca. She looked just as dishevelled as me, if not worse, and I'd never seen anything so loveable before. Her smile was unaffected by all that had happened, save that it was a sad one. I didn't return it, but neither did I object as she down down beside me.

"Funny, isn't it?" I found myself saying. "I joined the army because I wanted power, glory, mighty opponents to overcome... I've had all these things now, and I feel _worse _for it. Nova gave me power, but now he's gone, and I feel terribly empty. My achievements have given me glory, but what are others really honouring me for? Killing, and I'm ashamed of it. Kyroah'rhas, the Chief Sektarus, the Nonets and Darcell were all mighty opponents, but I wish they'd never entered into my life."

I realised that I was rambling, and shut my mouth. Rebecca said nothing at first, but put a hand on my shoulder. "Maybe you just didn't know what you really wanted." she suggested.

"No," I said, looking seriously at her, "I did. I just don't want it any more."

There was a slight pause, and then Rebecca asked, "What do you want _now_, then? Now that it's all over?"

"I don't know," I sighed, "but I guess I'd better find out soon."

"I guess you'd better." she replied. "Tell me, though, why do you call yourself Phyra? I've been seeing almost an entirely different person in you lately, and now that I've found out your real name, it's as if I don't even _know _you these days."

I gave a rueful smile. "It wasn't me who started it, exactly," I said, "but in retrospect, the name sort of defined my character. You know why I'm so touchy about my hair? It's because once, when I was six, I set it on fire. That started both my obsession with hair and my obsession with fire-related things—including Pyrus Bakugan. People started calling me _Phyra-head_ after that. Phyra is an old Reimish word that literally translates as _of the flames_, but entered into the vernacular as simply _fire_. The name sort of stuck after that but was eventually shortened to just _Phyra_."

"What on Starsector did you set your hair on fire for?" Rebecca asked.

"I suppose," I said, grinning wryly, "I was tired of people expecting me to be just like my father, simply because we shared the same name. Not," I hastened to add, "that I ever had a problem with Dad. On the contrary, we got on quite well most of the time, but I just wanted to be different, free to forge my own path in the world. So I decided to do something that would _make _people realise I had my own personality. To the mind of a six-year-old, that meant doing something drastic. A box of matches was lying around, so I decided to set something on fire. I thought running around with flaming hair would look rather cool, so that's just what I did—right when my parents were entertaining General Phillips and some of his regiment to tea.

"Mum had a cow, of course, but I didn't care. People stopped calling me Patrick, stopped comparing me to Dad, and left me alone. It's funny," I continued with some irony, "that after all that, I turned out a lot like him anyway. We went the same way, acquired the same strength, look exactly alike, and even behave in similar ways. I suppose it's true when they say _Like father, like son_."

"Is that such a bad thing?" Rebecca wondered.

"In hindsight, not really," I confessed. "I'm not proud of the things I accomplished that _weren't _much like Dad. Phyra was a selfish and arrogant person, and I suppose he always will be...which is why I'm not going to be Phyra any longer." Rebecca looked confused. I just smiled—a genuine smile this time—and took her hand. "I don't believe we've met properly," I said, nodding my head. "I'm Patrick. Patrick Vyander, Junior."

Rebecca grinned, the dried grime on her face cracking to bits. "Rebecca Fletcher," she responded, "and you're not so junior, you know." She didn't let go my hand, and we stood slowly, as the sun sank below the horizon, and the hills gleamed brightly as though set afire, and the corpse-ridden street around us turned slowly from red to black. "I miss Preyas," she said abruptly. "You said to me that I'd work through it, but I don't think I'll ever stop missing him. Do you suppose you'll stop missing Siege and Nova?"

"No, probably not," I said quietly, leaning forward slightly, "but you know what? Siege told me, before he left, that I needed to find someone else to be with. And, well, I think I've found her. Would you agree?"

Her hazel eyes shone brightly in the dimming light. "Possibly." I'd thought many times since meeting her that she had a sweet smile. But no smile I'd ever seen her give before compared to the one she gave now as she said this. And then she laughed, and I stood, and we wrapped our arms around each other.

* * *

_The sun had set, and twilight had fallen, and the first of the stars were peeping out at the world. The fire on the hills had died down almost to nothing, and the moon would be rising soon. A man, bent with age and wrapped in a dark red robe, stood upon the crumbling tip of the highest remaining tower in what had once been Novernford, and observed gently the couple standing beneath him, joining together as they locked in a passionate embrace._

"_Ah, young love," murmured he, eyes misting over. "Such a wonderful thing to behold, eh, Sausage?"_

"_You're such a pervert." the pigeon perched in the crook of his arm accused in disgust._

* * *

I let Rebecca go for a moment, and looked up as a familiar sound reached my ears. "Did that flipping pigeon just..." I started to say, then broke off with a smile and shook my head. "Never mind."

* * *

Two Years Later...

It is the year 1908, and after all this time, Bec and I are engaged. A lot of events have taken place during the last couple of years, the most notable of which being that I, Bec and my friends have, along with a lot of other Staryans, travelled to colonise a new world. King Edward decided after the post-war turmoil settled down somewhat that we needed to enlarge our empire and ensure that should the Sektarii ever return, Fate forbid, then we'd be better positioned and unlikely to be backed into a corner.

A fair number of us now live on Earth, that nice little blue-green planet in another galaxy (mentioned occasionally by Staryans as being_ mostly harmless_, or else _the super computer_, though no one really knows why), which we reached by means of advanced interdimensional teleporter systems. The interesting thing is, if you'll recall Nova's story of Vestroia's origins, it was actually on Earth that everything started. It was a fragmented piece of Earth that brought life to Vestroia all those years ago, and now that all is over and we Staryans have begun to live here, there is a nice symmetry of sorts.

Earth was completely uninhabited apart from various flora and fauna when first we found it, so we can range as far as we like. We've been here a relatively short time, but with the help of our advanced technology, things aren't taking too long to set up and get organised. As to what else has been happening, there are almost too many things to mention...

I've been elevated in rank by King Edward himself in recent times, and am now General Patrick Vyander II. My men jocularly refer to me as _the very model of a modern major-general_, despite the fact that I'm not actually a major-general, which is somewhat amusing. The funny thing is that in light of his rather poor leadership during the war, General Harp Darp was actually _demoted_ to major-general, so now I get to boss him around as I please.

Another cool thing is that I don't have to live next to Mr Wilson any more. I have a feeling I'll miss his delusional personality a little, and it was certainly a wrench to leave the vicinity of the legendary bathtub...but on the other hand, it's nice to have some tranquillity about the joint. The morning I left for Earth, Mr Wilson appeared on my threshold in tears and declared that some creepy cojack with no nose had rocked up to his house and eaten Corey-Sue for breakfast. Yes, I think I'm rather better off without him.

Bec and I aren't the only happy couple in these parts either. Kate, as it turns out, had been looking for the right man for quite some time, as Lars Lion knew when we visited Haos Space, and it seems she's found him at last because she and Jack are actually married. Jack made a very elegant and somewhat melodramatic proposal a few weeks ago and it was all a bit of a rush. We're very happy for them, though. Conversely, Lieutenant Bircham and Captain Hackett have had to resort to founding a secret society together, called _Rejectees Anonymous_, in order to console their wounded prides. They meet every Saturday afternoon in an old cardboard box at the bottom of Hackett's garden.

Narov and Duckford are still back in Starlight, and we receive emails from them every so often. Duckford has won several prestigious awards and honours in interior decorating, and Narov has taken to collecting marbles in memory of his departed guardian. On the subject of Bakugan, I like to sit in my study once in a while and remember the old days. It is to that end that I have written these memoirs, that no one might forget the Bakugan and all we achieved for each other.

I sometimes think fond thoughts of Siege, and wonder what he's up to these days in Darkus Space. My thoughts, however, turn invariably to Nova, who once had been the last Pyrus but is now heralded as the Fiery Star, saviour of dimensions. And a smile makes its way onto my face, and then I return to the present world, where I can still be happy in spite of Nova's absence.

As it turns out, I have in fact come to realise my old dream of being the most powerful known Brawler: a few months after the Battle of Novernford, it turned out that I'd been holding first place on the Star-wide ranking list—something I hadn't even known existed—for quite some time. As there are no Bakugan to brawl with any more, and the drones have all been deactivated, I've retroactively been awarded the official title for all time. The only thing is, .even though it's a great honour and a position I'd been working towards ever since my parents had died, I've discovered that it doesn't mean anything to me these days. And why should it? It was Phyra's dream, and I am Patrick now. The Bakugan are all home, the Sektarii have all vanished, and the time for war is over and done with.

We are at peace, thanks to Nova.


	42. Epilogue: A Name

**Epilogue – A Name**

On Earth – 1996

Miyoko Kuso made her way down the hall, being careful to protect her heavily swollen belly as she opened the door. There came a chorus of greetings as a group of old friends crossed the threshold and stepped into the entryway, making various congratulatory remarks. "It's so good of you all to come to our house-warming party," Miyoko smiled, ushering her guests into the lounge. On the way, the group passed a painted portrait in an ornate frame. It depicted a young man.

"Miyoko, dear, who's that in the painting?" one of the guests asked.

Miyoko turned to look. "Oh, that's one of my more obscure ancestors," she laughed. "Handsome, isn't he?"

The others crowded around and murmured their agreements.

"... Handsome indeed, though not as much as Matthew Crawley..."

"Oh, _honestly_, Maud, Matthew Crawley isn't a _real _person, I've told you a hundred times—and he doesn't like brownies, either! Nor _is _he a brownie."

"My peanut."

"MATTHEW CRAWLEY IS NOT A PEANUT!"

"...Those eyes..." one of the others continued, ignoring the two women now screaming at each other about Matthew Crawley, "such a brilliant green..."

"...That hair... So golden, so amazingly spiky..."

"...And such a charming smile, too! ...And yet, so annoying..."

"..._Very_ annoying, I must say..."

They entered the lounge, and Miyoko began to serve tea. "Sorry Shinjiro couldn't be here," she apologised. "He's got a lot of work to do a the moment, before he goes on leave."

"Understandable, my dear," one of the elder guests remarked—and the others agreed.

"The baby will be a boy, won't he, dear?" someone inquired.

Miyoko nodded. "Indeed." she confirmed. "I must admit, we'd come up with a lot more ideas for girls' names than boys', but we eventually settled on a name we liked." The guests oohed and aahed and pressed for her to reveal the chosen name. "Well," she said with a little smile, "we've decided to call him Daniel."

In Pyrus Space – Date Unknown

"Isn't he a darling?" Spitfire asked of her friend, Volcana.

Volcana looked over at the Spitfire's son—a little Pyrus Dragonoid who was playing happily with a stone. "He is indeed," she agreed. "What did you say his name was?"

"Novaakai." answered Spitfire. "Delta discovered it as they were playing together. It's not often that happens, but it did."

"Novaakai, " Volcana mused. "Wasn't that the name of Delta's brother?"

"No, that was Novaakii, saviour of dimensions," Spitfire corrected. "_His_ name meant _fiery star_, but Novaakai's means _little star_. Of course," she added with a laugh, "everyone knows him better by his pet name, Drago."

* * *

_**A/N: **_And there you have it, folks! If you've made it this far, then my heartiest congratulations to you. I know it's a filthy great monster of a story and none too perfect at that, so thank you so much for reading, you've been a wonderful audience. Now, if you really enjoyed this story and would by some strange chance like more, then you're in luck because, after I have gone ahead and uploaded the appendixes (yes, there are actually appendixes) to this story, I will be putting out a new story which is actually a collection of (much shorter and marginally better-written) one-shots revolving around the BWoS cast, some of which were designed to answer a few remaining questions (since this was before I learned that there is such thing as too much closure...) and others simply to expand on things I thought deserved expanding on. Anyway, I think that is all that remains to be said except that regarding the Kusos, it really annoys me that I had to use their Japanese names, but since they don't seem to actually have English first names in our version of the anime, that's just how it had to be. Sorry if that bothers you as much as it does me.


	43. Appendix A

**Appendix A: Summary of All References Contained Within the Text**

All the obscure references I've ever hidden in the story are written down here.

Notes: 'troll', 'trolled', 'troll-like grin', 'Troll-', 'troll-face', 'troll-grinned', "Problem?", "brah", 'Harp Darp' and such are of course all references to rage comics and general Internet memes. Also, _(?)_ next to a reference indicates that I am uncertain whether it actually counts as a reference or not, _(inside) _indicates that I am referencing an in-joke or something known only to my friends, and _(self-explanatory reference) _indicates that the object of the reference is named _as _the reference.

With regard to the in-jokes, I won't launch into a long and complicated explanation, but suffice it to say that they are all either to do with novels I or my friends wrote, or with games we made up.

**PART I:**

"Now, Treebeard, don't be hasty." – reference to _The Lord of the Rings_

"...that Marvin..." – reference to _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (H2G2)_

'Sirius Cybernetics Corporation' – reference to _H2G2_

"Pikachu" – reference to _Pokemon_

"young padawan" – reference to _Star Wars_

"Jason Bourne" – reference to _The Bourne Identity _and sequels.

"Master Nickelby—my brother..." – reference to _Nicholas Nickelby_

"...that tortoise go! It'll run over any hares..." – reference to Aesop's _The Hare and the Tortoise_

"...mostly harmless as a certain little blue-green planet..." – reference to _H2G2_

'Practical Parenting in a Fractally Demented Universe' – reference to _H2G2_

'Jason Bourne' – reference to _The Bourne Identity _and sequels

'Ultimate Answer to the Ultimate Question...', "Babel fish" – references to _H2G2_

"Pikachu" – reference to _Pokemon_

'Azgoths of Kria', 'Ode To A...Midsummer Morning' – references to _H2G2_

"scones", 'bones', 'Bill Oddie' – references to _The Goodies_

'protagonist in Slender' – reference to _Slender_

'Forever Alone' – reference to 'rage' comics and general Internet memes

"mostly harmless" – reference to _H2G2_

**PART II:**

"Big Ears" – reference to _Noddy _(?)

'red spotted emu' – (inside) reference

"...I tried being a lemon at one point, like Ford..." – reference to _H2G2_

"...Captain Kremmen, Iron Man and Larry the Cucumber..." – references to _Kenny Everett's Video Show_, Marvel's _Iron Man _and _VeggieTales_

"How's the serenity? So much serenity..." – reference to _The Castle_

'...wasn't quite like falling to the ground and missing...' – reference to _H2G2_

'Voldemort Eats Cats For Breakfast' – (inside) reference, and reference to _Harry Potter_

"weak-kneed carrots" – (inside) reference

"Chandrian" x2 – references to _The Kingkiller Chronicle_

'the orbs, the maze, the phantoms...' – reference to _Pac-Man_

'like a boss' – reference to a song by Lonely Island and Internet memes.

"...this arcade game...'pac' something..." – reference to _Pac-Man_

'like a boss', "Challenge accepted." – references to a song by Lonely Island, 'rage comics' and general Internet memes

'theme to _Pirates of the Caribbean' – _self-explanatory reference

"twelve-colour bastard" – reference to _The Kingkiller Chronicle _(?)

"Vogon" – reference to _H2G2_

'Trekkies' – reference to _Star Trek_

"..._Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles..._"_ –_ self-explanatory reference

"...dumdum...gum-gum?" – reference to _Night at the Museum_

"...it's madness. It's Sparta!" – reference to _300_

"...a sad, strange little man whom you should pity..." – reference to _Toy Story_

'said the floor (which seemed...space rift)' – (inside) reference

'ACME CORP', "Acme...nice young coyote..." – references to _Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner_

"_Que?" –_ reference to Manuel, of _Fawlty Towers_

"Improbability Drive" – reference to _H2G2_

'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' is a song by Monty Python, from their movie, _Life of Brian_.

"keep on chooglin'" – reference to 'Keep on Chooglin'', by Credence Clearwater Revival

"...Cousin Toby...amend your drunkenness..." – reference to Shakespeare's _Twelfth Night_, or _What You Will_

"Come now, children.", 'random spider with a posh accent' – (inside) references

'Teddibear' – reference to _Pokemon_

"honey badger", "the honey badger don't give a—", "...maybe I _am _a honey badger, cos I certainly _don't_ give a—" – references to _The Crazy, Nastyass Honey Badger _(Youtube viral video and Internet meme)

'Pan Galactic Gargle-Blaster', 'Gargle Blaster', "Gargle Blaster" – references to _H2G2_

"off to see the Wizard" – reference to _The Wizard of Oz_

'The Song of the Jolly Rock Lighthouse' – reference to _The Goodies_

"You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on." – quote by Dean Martin

"It only takes one drink to get me drunk. The trouble is, I can't remember if it's the thirteenth or the fourteenth." – quote by George Burns

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, B1?" – reference to _Bananas in Pyjamas_

"Jack Sparrow's compass" – reference to _Pirates of the Caribbean_

**PART III:**

"honey badger?", "...honey badgers...that documentary...", "...badass, as I hear honey badgers are rumoured to be..." – references to _The Crazy, Nastyass Honey Badger _(Youtube viral video and Internet meme)

"Sir Monarus, not the finest swordsman in the world!", "But the most enthusiastic!" – references to _The Big Knights_

"Great Chicken Who Laid The Egg That Hatched The Universe", "BUT IT WAS THE CUPCAKE...THE CUPCAKE!", "The cupcake did it.", "Great Cupcake Who Spawned The Chicken And Hatched The Universe" – (inside) references

'the ever-changing wind tossing leaves along the road' – reference to _The Kingkiller Chronicle_

"paramedics", "Leprechauns?" – (inside) references

"Pikachu" – reference to _Pokemon_

'SpongeBob' – reference to _SpongeBob SquarePants_

'Fawlty Towers', 'Sybil's voice', _"_If I find out that the money on the horse was yours, Basil, you know what I'll do.", '"...You'll have to sew 'em back on, first!"Basil replied sharply.' – references to _Fawlty Towers_

"Milliways" – reference to _H2G2_

"The Naked Chef" – self-explanatory reference

'Marple' – self-explanatory reference

"the white whale" – reference to _Moby Dick_

'...watching Miss Marple solve yet another bamboozling case.' – reference to _Marple_

'The White Whale', "The white whale", 'the white whale' – references to _Moby Dick_

'SpongeBob' – reference to _SpongeBob SquarePants_

'The Goodies', 'Tim Brooke-Taylor's voice' _–_ references to _The Goodies_

"...not looking at your body, I am NOT looking at your body—YES I AM! Ha ha ha—Moby Dick! 'THAR SHE BLOWS, CAPTAIN AHAB!..."_ – _references to _The Goodies _and _Moby Dick_

'_MOBY DICK: THE WHITE WHALE_' – reference to _Moby Dick_

'Voldemort Eats Cats for Breakfast' – (inside) reference, and reference to _Harry Potter_

'I started to sing the (very repetitive) song about going to Bonnie Doon.' – reference to _The Castle_

"As you like it", "a theoretical production" – references to Shakespeare's _As You Like It_

"seven words that will make a woman love you" – reference to _The Kingkiller Chronicle_

"jynnan tonnyx" – reference to _H2G2_

'space mermaids' – (inside) reference

'...time heals most wounds, and the rest are 'hidden behind the door of forgetting...' – reference to _The Kingkiller Chronicle_

'...a bowl of petunias to come crashing down into the street, saying, "Oh no, not again."...', 'petunias' – references to _H2G2_.

'Don't Stop Believin'' is a song by Journey.

"I'M SO HIP, I HAVE TROUBLE SEEING OVER MY PELVIS!" – reference to _H2G2_

"Why, there's a wench...Come on and kiss me, Kate.", "SHREW", "shrew" – references to Shakespeare's _The Taming of the Shrew_

'a game of Slender' – reference to _Slender_

' .Dinosaur_Rules58' x3 – references to _The Wiggles_

'Monty Python skits' – reference to _Monty Python's Flying Circus_

'So long...and thanks for all the fish.' - reference to _H2G2_

'cold fish through cheesecake' – (inside) reference

'Parting is such sweet sorrow' – reference to Shakespeare's _Romeo and Juliet_

**PART IV: **

"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming" – reference to _Finding Nemo_

"But only cos you're a creepy old gypsy woman." – (inside) reference

"Galactic Institute's Prize for Extreme Cleverness" – reference to _H2G2_

'"would you believe it is a magical..."...Frosche conceded' – reference to _Get Smart_

"tingling spider senses" – reference to _Spiderman_

'Voldemort Eats Cats...Kvothe's breakfast.' – references to _Harry Potter_, _The Kingkiller Chronicle _and (inside) reference

"...SpongeBob...maniacal yellow sponge..." – references to _SpongeBob SquarePants_

'Wocka wocka" – reference to Fozzie Bear, of _The Muppets_

"Que?" – reference to Manuel, of _Fawlty Towers_

"Nine...black horses..." – reference to the Ringwraiths in _The Lord of the Rings_

Large Hadron Collider – self-explanatory reference.

"I was being sarcastic!"..."'Well I stole your face!" – reference to one of the _asdf movies_

"...give an air of culture and elegance...George Orwell." – reference to George Orwell's essay, _Politics and the English Language_

'thagomizer' – reference to Gary Larson's _The Far Side_

"...lack the requisite spine and testicular fortitude to study under me..." – reference to _The Kingkiller Chronicle_

"Ehh...what's up, Doc?" – reference to Bugs Bunny, of _Looney Tunes_

'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' – reference to Monty Python's song in _Life of Brian_

"creepy old gypsy woman" – (inside) reference

'Curiouser and curiouser' – reference to _Alice in Wonderland_

"Dragon Warrior" – reference to _Kung Fu Panda_

'Soul Bossa Nova' is an instrumental title composed by Quincy Jones.

"...go blind from overexposure to pure awesomeness!" – reference to _Kung Fu Panda_

'lightsabers' – reference to _Star Wars_

'Tiptoe Through the Tulips' is a song by Al Dubin and Joe Burke.

'Write Like the Wind' is a song by Paul and Storm, uploaded on Youtube by Geek and Sundry.

'Angry of Mayfair' – reference to _Kenny Everett's Video Show_

'Nokia' is a mobile phone brand (indestructible, as everyone knows).

"'Allo me li'l luvlies...Aunty Jack...rip yer bloody arms orf." – references to _The Aunty Jack Show_

"Big Ugly Bug-Faced Baby-Eating O'Brien" – reference to _Muppet Treasure Island_

"...I WILL STRING A FIDDLE WITH YOUR GUTS AND MAKE YOU PLAY IT WHILE I DANCE...", "The Kingkiller Chronicle" – references to _The Kingkiller Chronicle_

"Pygmy Puff" – reference to _Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince_

"creepy old gypsy woman" – (inside) reference

"Don't let the Scarabs get to you." – (inside) reference

"...rip yer bloody arms orf." – reference to _The Aunty Jack Show_

'creepy old gypsy woman'/'creepy old gypsy women' x5 – (inside) references

'Livin' on a Prayer' is a song by Jon Bon Jovi.

"OUR BEAUTIFUL CAR!?", "OUR CAR? OUR PRECIOUSSS? YOU THIEF! YOU SSSTOLE IF FROM USSS!"_ – _references to Gollum, of _The Lord of the Rings_

"dusterly" – (inside) reference

"And may the odds never be in yourfavour." – reference to _The Hunger Games_

"...I remember!", 'At these apparently remarkable words...started clapping and cheering." – (inside) references

"Wingardium Leviosa!"_ – _reference to _Harry Potter_

"The Overlords" – (inside) reference

"One does not simply..." – reference to the 'Boromir meme'

"Tehlu's name" – reference to _The Kingkiller Chronicle_

"Aerlevsedi", 'the name of the wind' – references to _The Kingkiller Chronicle_

"...I gotta baaad feeling about this..." – reference to _Star Wars_

"Mjolnir" x2 – references to _Thor_

'This is how I die.' – reference to rage comics and general Internet memes

"James Bond." – self-explanatory reference

"Marry..." "Moreover..." "Secondarily..." "Sixth and lastly..." "Thirdly..." "To conclude..." – references to Dogberry, of Shakespeare's _Much Ado About Nothing_

"...man with the five heads and the elderberry bush full of kippers..." – reference to _H2G2_

"...grown upwards, but not up..." – reference to _The Kingkiller Chronicle_

'Dark Knight' x2, "To the Batmobile!" – references to _Batman_

"long ago, the universe...it was really the cupcake who did it..." – (inside) reference

'"...for simplicity's sake, let us assume...mine."' – reference to _The Kingkiller Chronicle_

"My name is Kaage...names are important as—", "I'd been tricked into jumping...Master Namer...", "Rookery", "Master Namer" – references to _The Kingkiller Chronicle_

"Five points to Gryffindor." – reference to _Harry Potter_

"Patience, young grasshopper." – reference to _Kung Fu _TV series (?)

'grated Arcturan Mega-Donkey' – reference to _H2G2_

'Marvin' – reference to _H2G2_

"mostly harmless", "the super computer" – references to _H2G2_

'the very model of a modern major-general' – reference to Gilbert and Sullivan's _The Pirates of Penzance_

'some creepy cojack with no nose had rocked up to his house and eaten Corey-Sue for breakfast' – reference to _Harry Potter _and (inside) reference

**EPILOGUE:**

"Matthew Crawley" x4 – references to _Downton Abbey_

"My peanut." – reference to Jack Sparrow, of _Pirates of the Caribbean_


	44. Appendix B

**Appendix B: Additional Information On Names**

**A - THE MEANINGS OF VARIOUS NAMES**

Notes: there are essentially three classifications of names found within this fanfiction. There are the names I made up, and then put meanings to later. There are the names which exist in the real world, and I chose deliberately for their meanings (these are marked with a single asterisk), and then there are the names which exist in the real world that I chose simply because I thought they fit, and then looked up later to find the meanings. These are marked with a double asterisk, and in some cases are quite ironic. Have an interesting time looking at certain names from all three categories and their meanings as shown here. Be aware that the meanings for the latter two categories may differ slightly according to other sources.

Phyra – of the flames, fire

Patrick* – nobleman

Novaakii/Nova – fiery star (note that 'Nova' is not short for 'Novaakii', but simply the Reimish form of 'Novaakii', as Hilaire is a French form of Hilary.)

Kaage* – shadow

Katelyn** – pure beauty

Roximor – speaker, historian

Jack** – from the name John

Cynfael** – chief prince

Mikael** – name of an angel

Kefira* – young lioness

Rebecca** – servant of God

Kyros* – master

Kyroah'rhas – beloved

Darcell* – dark

Nicholas** – victorious people

Rianna** – sweet basil, virtuous

Benjamin** – son of my right hand

Fyrran – follower

Ahryall – sun, beacon

Heriale – hero, royal

Khreppe – king

Sylvixius – wielder, keeper

Tristos – tri-horn

Synthiarch – complimenter, slipstream

Dozaarch – silent, sleeper

Zhephyr – the calm before the storm

Vernif – rainbow

Budgie-Smugglers – Noble and Wise Bakugan of the Watery Realm

Shilvire – silver-tongued

Gyllvinae – gilded, exalted one

Hylar/Hylarai – enlightened

Flarehorn – igniter

Novaakai – little star

**B – THE PRONUNCIATION OF VARIOUS NAMES**

A few of the trickier names, and how I pronounce them (if I made them up) or how I believe they are pronounced (if I didn't)...

Phyra – _PIE-_rah

Novaakii - _no-VAH-key_

Arch Siege – _ARK SEEJ_

Kaage – _KAH-gey _

Kyroah'rhas – _kye-ROAR-rus _

Kyros – _KYE-roze_

Mikael – _mick-ILE_

Cynfael – _KIN-feel_

Kefira – _KEFF-rah_

Fyrran – _FYE-ran _

Ahryall – _AH-ree-el _

Heriale – _heh-RYE-el _

Khreppe – _CRAP (just kidding) KREHP_

Sylvixius – _sill-vix-EYE-us_

Tristos – _TRISS-toss_

Synthiarch – _sin-THIGH-ark_

Dozaarch – _DOH-zack_

Zhephyr – z_eff-EER_

Shilvire – _shil-VEER_

Gyllvinae – _gil-VINE-ay_

Hylar/Hylarai – _il-AR/il_-_AR-ee_

Novaakai – _no-vah-KYE_


	45. Appendix C

**Appendix C – Comparisons Between Original and Canon Content Used**

For those early readers of mine who were wondering how much of the content contained within the text was from the anime/game, and how much I came up with by myself—this appendix should address the question, and maybe prove an interesting read in the process...

First off, obviously all articles mentioned in Appendix A aren't really my own ideas, though in most cases I did come up with _how _to reference these things.

Secondly, though it also goes without saying, the concept of Bakugan isn't mine, and neither are the game rules, though there were a few minor differences between my rules and the official rules, as stated in Appendix D.

Starsector, Starlight, Shadowsector, Staryans and Sektarii are all my own ideas, but Vestroia is canon.

The rift is my idea, as is all of Starsector's history, including the mysterious story of Lord Twattar and Laydayas Cayuuntash. The history of Vestroia I looked up on the Bakugan Wiki, but I added the idea of the Hydranoid War, how it was caused, and the events that followed.

All characters are my own, except for the Legendary Soldiers of Vestroia, Code Eve, the Nonets, Dharaknoid and Genesis Dragonoid, Drago and the Kusos: Miyoko, Shinjiro and Daniel. (Though it was my idea for Drago's real name to be Novaakai.) As for why Daniel's parents have Japanese names? Quite simply, they don't appear to _have _names in the English version of the anime, so their Japanese names are the only ones I could find...

All Bakugan cards are cards I invented, except for various Character Cards, and all cards in Appendix D that are marked with an asterisk.

I made up the idea of variant Bakugan. The specific Bakugan variants/evolutions I invented run thus: Assassin Dragonoid, Galactic Dragonoid, Angelo Preyas Alpha, Dread Ripper, Death Shredder, Lunar Harpus, Gryphonoid, Beam Gryphonoid, Rune Gryphonoid, Mercenary Gorem, Ultra Siege, Arch Siege, Hermes Siegius, Pythonoid, Cybertallion, Grim Reaper, Horrorclaw, Hornet Striker, Gorgonoid, Rattlesnake, Strikelash, Thunder Skyress, Ultimate Hydranoid, Guard Cycloid, Battleaxe Tigrerra, Bolt Ravenoid, Storm Falconeer, Machete Fourtress, Platinum Centipoid, Mutant Mantris, Alternate Mantris, Flash Cybertallion, Electro Cybertallion, Telekinetic Juggernoid, Jet Saurus, Spike Saurus, Rocket Laserman, Frost Warius, Saber-Toothed Hynoid, Spark Pythonoid, Thorn Wormquake, Ninjitsu Monarus, Razor Hynoid, Diamonix Claever, Lych Leonae, Tyrannus Exydros, Aquare Farasque and Vaamprye Orbevrake.

I invented all the drones, and the idea of Preyas having an uncertain evolution chain with different possibilities—though the Preyas II evolution is canon.

The idea of Bakugan being able to control more than one Attribute is canon.

The concept of talking Bakugan is canon, but I invented the concept of the Bakugan having their own languages, the LANGUAG_E _language, and the idea that some Bakugan talk and others don't depending on their grasp of Reimish (or English, or any other language).

I came up with the concept of Bakugan clans and their locations and customs, but not that of the Bakugan worlds forming into land and sky formations after dimensional disruption.

I invented the Staryan view on Fate, and all the stuff about the Path, the Chasm and so on (which, incidentally, is not really a religion so much as a cultural set of superstitions/legends; some portion of Starsector's population may very well be religious, but not fanatically so). I also invented the Bakugan's Nether World, but the Doom Dimension is canon. The Nonets' feud with Genesis Dragonoid and subsequent banishment is canon, but not the explanation involving their freedom from the Doom Energy—and I believe I coined the term 'Doom Energy'. Eve's Messengers and their purpose are also both my ideas.

I invented the manipulator and its uses, the field generator, the Enhancer, the Microgan (which, albeit, are like a fusion of the canon devices Bakugan Trap and Bakunano), the BakuPod V2 (which is like a fusion of the canon Gauntlet and Launcher, with some extra stuff added on), and the Supportive, Micro and Ultimate Abilities, but not regular BakuPods, Bakugan clips or the forbidden Chaos Ability X.

I didn't invent innate abilities (though I came up with the term), but I invented those specific to Mercenary Gorem, Dual Hydranoid and Guard Cycloid. Preyas' is canon.

I invented the Rune of Scrabulus and its properties, scrolls and so on. I also invented the six artefacts or talismans of the Attributes—the Orb of Foresight, Staff of Awesomeness and so on, their properties, the verse, the cloning procedure, soul-pieces, and the Hall of Souls.

I didn't come up with the speed take-down, but I'm the one who calls it that.

Ball-lightning beasts and plasma phantoms are both my ideas.

I invented the idea of Bakugan having true names, though there are one or two Bakugan in the anime who have nicknames—such as Drago, who is a Pyrus Dragonoid.

I invented the descendants of the Legendary Soldiers and the Doublenode Ritual, but not the Wheel of Attributes and the relations between Attributes. I did, I believe, come up with the terms 'Wheel of Attributes' and 'Light/Fire Elements' and 'Dark Elements'. I also came up with the idea of the Elements using differently charged energies in their attacks.

The Infinity and Silent Cores are canon, but the seven Guards of the Cores aren't. I also invented the term 'Inner Space', though not Pyrus Space, Darkus Space and so on.

I invented the concept of Bakugan travel between Attribute worlds using the resonating cores.

The Ultimate Warrior Gene (aka 'Gate', 'Original DNA'), Switch Code (aka 'Key', 'friendship', 'Solidarity') and their properties are canon, but the Key to the Cores was my idea, as was the term 'Power of Waffle'.

I invented the explanation regarding an Ability card being the fusion of an ability with matter from a non-Vestroian dimension.

Inter-dimensional teleporters have been used in the anime, but under the name of 'Dimensional Transporter' system.

Bakugan changing to and from ball form when exiting and entering Vestroia is canon, and so is the concept of Gate Cards reacting differently in Vestroia.

The idea of a Bakugan's attacks flowing from mental strength is mine.

Lars Lion's ability to see inside others is canon, but not her vision involving humour and the subsequent immaturity of the Legendary Soldiers in general. I also invented the idea of the Soldiers being able to visit certain places, sometimes being assisted by one or more of the pigeons.

All the non-common or pseudo-religious ejaculations (eg "Great Genesis", "in the name of my Ever-Burnt Toast", "Fate's Far-Left Toenail", "cheesecake", etc) are bits of nonsense I invented myself for the sake of amusement.

The idea of Apollonir using the power of the pigeons to disguise himself as Kensington is mine, as is his banishment from Ventus Space.

The weather in the various Attribute worlds is not explicitly canon, but fairly expectable. The same goes for Bakugan in Vestroia being largely unevolved due to non-frequent battling.

The Lights of Zar'mhetres aren't canon—since none of the Bakugan cities are canon.

The idea of a card overruling the game rules in a dispute is canon—and in fact standard procedure in most TCGs.

The idea of Ability cards which are unique to the Infinity and Perfect Cores (and by extension, the Silent Core) is canon.

The idea of electronic devices shorting out in the Doom Dimension is not explicitly canon, though I'm pretty sure it's true in canon that you cannot contact someone inside the Doom Dimension from another dimension via BakuPod.

The masked and battle forms of the Legendary Soldiers are canon.

The World of Tests is canon.

The great three-part question of existence is not canon, and neither is the path of fire in the Doom Dimension.

The prose "some nutter" wrote about Vestroia when the worlds were young is not canon.

The idea about 'Nonets' meaning 'The Group of Nine' is not strictly canon, but the word 'nonet' refers to a group of nine, often a musical composition consisting of nine members. Funnily enough, it's not clear whether Fury really is a member of the Nonets, but he was at least close with them (I think one of them called him their brother), so I made it clear that he was a part of the group in this fanfiction. Another thing to note is that it is never made clear in the anime why the Nonets are immune to the Doom Dimension's effects. It is only shown that they have not deteriorated, lost power or turned to statues—so I hinted at the theory that they were born from the Doom Energy itself.

The idea of the cores' power protecting Bakugan from the Doom Energy is not canon, and neither is their supposed ability to grant immortality.

The idea of the Legendary Soldiers recovering their power to release the Bakugan from the Doom Dimension is largely canon, inasmuch as they _do _release all Bakugan (excepting themselves) from the Doom Dimension in the anime.

The Current of Time is canon.

That about wraps it up. There are some similarities between the general plot of this story and that of the anime, particularly season one, but those are not really worth mentioning, and are portrayed in different ways between the anime and this fanfiction, anyway.


	46. Appendix D

**Appendix D: Card List and Ruling Differences**

In this appendix, I list all the Bakugan cards I have ever mentioned within the fanfiction (and possibly a few spare, if they were deleted from the main text later). Note that those marked with an asterisk are not of my own invention, but actual cards from the game or anime. Also, here are a few of my rulings which may differ to those of the game or anime:

-Gates can be set by the first player on their first turn, after the initial one set each has taken place. Also, if there are no Gates remaining on the Field at any point before the battle is over, each player sets another Gate Card if they have one. This last is true for the game, but not the anime.

-Fusion Abilities do not count as part of the standard three Ability cards, and do not have to be used in conjunction with a specific Ability card, though they are typically played at some point after their player has used another Ability card.

-Bakugan's Power Levels can go to zero and below, and those Bakugan can still have a chance at turning the tables around, whereas in the anime, if a Bakugan's Power Level reaches zero, it loses automatically.

-If, in the anime, a Tuskor uses Nose Slap and defeats a Bakugan on an adjacent card, that adjacent card will remain on the Field, but the Tuskor will return to its owner and its card will vanish. In the fanfiction, the Tuskor and its card stay on the Field, but the adjacent card will be removed.

NOTE: Common abbreviations contained within this appendix run thus – 'PL' = Power Level, 'opp.' = opponent. Remember also that 'each Bakugan' is read 'each Bakugan and Microgan' when Microgan are present, 'battle' refers to a single battle between two or more Bakugan on one Gate Card, and 'game' refers to the match as a whole.

**ABILITY CARDS:**

(All Attributes)

Crushing Coils (Pythonoid only) – Moves an enemy Bakugan to any Gate Card and subtracts 50G from their PL.

Nullify – Cancels the Gate Card's effect.

Flee – If your Bakugan has the lower PL, you may swap it with any of your unused Bakugan.

Render Even – Removes all supporting pieces from the current Gate Card, and permanently exiles them for the remainder of the game.

Marionette* (Mantris only) – Moves any other Bakugan on the Field to any Gate Card on the Field.

Spinning Ricochet (Juggernoid only) – Nullifies the opp.'s Ability card.

Optic Paralysis (Cycloid only—all evolutions) – Opp. may not play Ability cards.

Summon Ally – You may bring in a Bakugan from the clip of one of your team-mates.

Sacrificial Benefit – You sacrifice one of the Bakugan on your side in the battle. The sacrificed Bakugan's PL is doubled and transferred to one of the remaining Bakugan on your side. The sacrificed Bakugan returns to your clip, but suffers a 200G deduction for the rest of the game.

Draw – A Bakugan from your opp.'s clip is brought to the Gate Card your Bakugan is standing on.

Skyress Lockdown (Skyress only) - Your opp. cannot open their Gate Card. Their Bakugan loses 100G.

Ally Pull (Centipoid only) – Brings an ally to the battle. Adds 300G to Centipoid's PL.

Featherburst (Skyress only) – (Effect Unknown.)

Resurrection Insurance – Prevents all opp.s from activating Abilities or opening Gate Cards. If you lose, you keep your Bakugan.

Teetering Stability – Changes the effect of the opp.'s last-played Ability to that of any in your hand. Can only be used if you are losing by at least 300G.

Summon Shadow (Can be used regardless of your Bakugan's Attribute) – Allows any player to add a Darkus Bakugan to the battle. If the losing player decides to do so, their new Bakugan gains 50G for every Bakugan at the battle.

Aqua Substitute (See Summon Shadow) – Swap your Bakugan with any of your other Bakugan on the Field. If the new Bakugan is Aquos, its PL rises to meet that of its opp.

Summon Lightning (See Summon Shadow) – Allows any player to add a Haos Bakugan to the battle. If the losing player decides to do so, their new Bakugan gains 50G for every Bakugan at the battle.

Consolation Prize – If you lose the battle, you may add one Ability card from your collection to your hand for each hundred G-Power you lost by, not exceeding three Abilities in total.

Triple Node* – If you have a Pyrus, a Haos and an Aquos Bakugan or a Darkus, a Ventus and a Subterra Bakugan on the Field, each of these three Bakugan gets 200G.

Restore Balance – Restores all PLs to base amount.

Blade Increase (Battleaxe Tigrerra only) – Tigrerra gains 200G, and the effects of its Abilities are doubled for the rest of the battle.

Nose Slap* (Tuskor only) - Your Tuskor can attack any Bakugan on an adjacent Gate Card.

Griffon Shield (Rune Gryphonoid only) – Nullifies all opp.'s Abilities, and adds 100G to Gryphonoid.

Spinning Tornado* (Juggernoid only) – (Effect Unknown.)

(Haos Abilities)

Lightning Switch – Swaps the Gs of the battling Bakugan, as long as your opp. is at least 300Gs ahead.

Haos Power Overload – Can be played regardless of any restrictions that are placed by card effects. Increases the Gs of each of your Bakugan by 100 for every Haos Bakugan on the Field, while decreasing the Gs of each of your opp.'s Bakugan by the same amount.

Lightning Charge – Your Bakugan gains 150G.

Power Transfer – Transfers 100G from each of the opp.'s Bakugan to your Bakugan.

Ultra Power Transfer – Transfers 200G from each of the opp.'s Bakugan to your Bakugan.

Harpus Light Storm (Haos Harpus only) – If your opp. is winning, this card takes the difference between Pls, doubles it and subtracts it from your opp.'s PL.

(Darkus Abilities)

Dark Stone Help – Allows you to put another of your Bakugan into the battle, so long as you already have a Darkus at the battle. If the new Bakugan is Subterra, it gains 100G.

Darkus Subterra Fusion – If you have both Darkus and Subterra at the battle, your opp. can't play Abilities, and each of your Bakugan gains 50G for every Bakugan in play.

Shadow Lash* – Your opp.'s Bakugan does not gain any Gs from the Gate Card. (Does not apply to Command or Character Cards.)

Darkus Shutdown – Prevents your opp. from playing any Abilities. Your Bakugan gains 100G.

Power Drain – Can only be played if your opp.'s PL is higher than yours by at least 150. Your opp.'s PL is halved.

Dark Seal – Prevents your opp. from opening their Gate Card.

Chaos Shutdown [CUSTOM] – Nullifies effects of all Gates and Abilities at the battle and prevents further cards from taking effect.

Ultimate Transfer [CUSTOM] – Transfers your opp.'s total PL to your Bakugan.

Gate Warp [CUSTOM] – Replaces the Gate Card with another of your own.

Ultimate Transfer X [CUSTOM] – Works the same way as Ultimate Transfer. If you win the game, then all losing Bakugan and supporting pieces are captured and brought into your possession.

Dark Alternate Force (Darkus Alternate Mantris only) – Summons a Bakugan from an opp.'s clip to any card on the Field. That Bakugan then has its PL halved, and Mantris gains G-Power equal to what the new Bakugan lost.

Disadvantage Portal – Brings one Bakugan from each opp. to the battle.

Black Hole – Transfers 300G from your opp.'s PL to yours.

Power Void – Subtracts 200G from your opp.'s PL.

Darkus Power Overload – Can be played regardless of any restrictions placed by card effects. Each of your Bakugan gains 100G for each Darkus Bakugan on the Field. Each of your opp.'s Bakugan loses the same amount of G-Power.

Dark Slide – Swaps two of the Gate Cards on the Field.

Shadow Switch – Swaps the PLs, as long as your opp. is in the lead by at least 300G.

Monarus Paralysis (Darkus Ninjitsu Monarus only) – The opp. cannot activate Ability cards. The player's Bakugan gains 150G.

Dark Mutation Pull (Darkus Mutant Mantris only) – Moves any other Bakugan on the Field to any Gate Card on the Field. If you win a battle during the turn you play this card, you may recover this card and swap it for another card from your collection.

Final Shutdown Advantage (Darkus Siege only—all evolutions) – Can only be played if both players have no other cards and the Gate has been opened. All opp.'s Abilities are nullified, and the Gate Card is destroyed and replaced by one of your Gates.

Arch Reaction (Darkus Arch Siege only) – All Bakugan have their PLs returned to their base amount.

Dark Feather Storm (Darkus Thunder Skyress only) – Your PL is adjusted to meet that of your opp.'s. If your opp. was ahead by 300G or more when this card was played, Skyress then gains power equal to half the amount the opp. was ahead by.

Dark Energy – (Effect Unknown.)

Dark Flame (Effect Unknown.)

Rise of the Underworld (Darkus Necromancer Drone only) – (Effect Unknown.)

(Subterra Abilities)

Mud Slide – Swaps any two Gate Cards on the Field.

Darkus Subterra Fusion – If you have both Darkus and Subterra at the battle, your opp. can't play Abilities and each of your Bakugan gains 50G for every Bakugan in play.

Fists of Stone – Nullifies your opp.'s Ability card. Your Bakugan gains 100G.

Poisonous Claws (Subterra Saber-Toothed Hynoid only) – Your opp.'s Bakugan loses 50G every few seconds.

Hammer of Stone – Nullifies your opp.'s Gate Card. Your Bakugan gains 200G-Power.

Subterra Increase – Adds 300G to your Bakugan.

Stone Transfer – Transfers 100G from your opp.'s Bakugan to your Bakugan.

Windswept Boulders – For each Ventus Bakugan at the battle, you may add a Subterra Bakugan to the battle.

Tremor Switch – switches the PLs, so long as your opp. is at least 300G ahead.

Boulder Shield (Guard Cycloid only) – Nullifies your opp.'s Ability. Your Bakugan gains 200G.

Deadly Song of Stone (Subterra Sirenoid only) – All your opp.'s Bakugan are petrified and cannot activate any Abilities. They also lose 100G each, while Sirenoid gains 100G.

Quicksand (Subterra Sirenoid only) – The Gate Card turns to quicksand and cannot be opened. If your opp.'s Bakugan is caught in the quicksand, it cannot activate any Ability cards. If any of the Bakugan are Ventus, 150G each is transferred from them to Sirenoid.

(Aquos Abilities)

Whirlpool – All Gate cards on the Field vanish, and all Bakugan on the Field now battle each other, with all the Bakugan belonging to each player/team combining PLs.

Tidal Wave – Allows any player with an Aquos Bakugan to put another Aquos Bakugan into the battle.

Frost Blast (Aquos Frost Warius only) – Nullifies your opp.'s Gate Card. 200G is transferred from your opp.'s Bakugan to your Bakugan.

Tides of Power – Transfers your opp.'s Gate bonus to your Bakugan.

Rainstorm – Allows any player with an Aquos Bakugan at the battle to bring a Ventus Bakugan to the battle.

Wall of Ice – No Ability cards may be played.

Water Manipulation – Transfers 300G-Power from your opp.'s PL to yours.

Water Tornado – If you have both Aquos and Ventus Bakugan at the battle, you may swap the G-Powers and Attributes of all the Bakugan at the battle in any way you choose.

(Ventus Abilities)

Blow Away* – Moves any Bakugan at the battle to any Gate Card on the Field.

Tornado Switch – Swaps the PLs of the battling Bakugan, as long as your opp. is ahead by at least 300G.

Binding Wind – Prevents your opp. from playing any Abilities.

Wind Reversal – Reverses the Gate Card's effect.

Hurricane Shutdown – Nullifies your opp.'s Ability card.

Double Hurricane – Your Bakugan gains the G-Power bonus from the Gate twice. (Does not apply to Command or Character Cards.)

Water Tornado – If you have both Aquos and Ventus at the battle, you may swap the G-Powers and Attributes of all the Bakugan at the battle in any way you choose.

Wind Convert – Opposing Ventus Bakugan cannot activate Ability cards or open Gates. Your Bakugan gains 150G.

Wind Increase – Your Bakugan gains 150G.

Hurricane Slide – Swaps any two Gates on the Field.

Blade Transfer (Ventus Battleaxe Tigrerra only) – Transfers 200G to Tigrerra from each opposing Bakugan.

Phoenix Storm (Ventus Skyress only—all evolutions) – (Effect Unknown.)

(Pyrus Abilities)

Claws Furiously Burning – Your Pyrus Bakugan gains 200G. Each of your opp.'s Bakugan loses 200G-Power. Nullifies your opp.'s Ability.

Fire Storm – All Pyrus Bakugan gain 50G for every Bakugan on the Field.

Fiery Void – Transfers 300G from the opp.'s PL to yours.

Knife of Fire – Halves opp's PL. Brings up your PL by the amount your opp. lost.

Blazing Dragonia – Knocks 300G off the opp.'s PL. Adds 150G to your Bakugan for every Pyrus Bakugan on the Field.

Deadly Dragon (Pyrus Assassin Dragonoid [with Darkus Attributed power] only) – Halves the opp.'s PL and seals their Gate.

Inferno Strike – Transfers 150G from opp.'s PL to yours for every Bakugan they have at the battle.

Flaming Blades – Negates opp.'s last Ability card, and adds 200G to your PL.

Negative Switch – Turns the amount of G-Power your opp. gained from their last move to a negative amount.

(Infinity/Silence Abilities)

Supreme Override – (Infinity, Dixie only) – Cancels opp.'s Gate, and transfers half their PL to yours.

Supreme Minimize – (Silence, Dixie only) – Lowers opp.'s PL to 100.

Supreme Transfer (Silence, Dixie only) – Reduces opp.'s PL to 0. Takes the amount they lost, doubles it, and adds it to your PL.

Supreme Take-Over (Infinity Fusion, Dixie only) – Brings all opp.'s Bakugan and supporting pieces to your possession if you win the game.

**FUSION ABILITY CARDS:**

Dark Mutation Recover (Darkus Bakugan with a base level of under 600G only) – Allows you to recover all Abilities you have played since your last roll (not counting Bakugan put into battle by a card's effect) if you win the battle. You have the option to swap recovered cards for others in your collection.

Arch Void (Darkus Arch Siege only) – Transfers 300G from your opp.'s Bakugan to Arch Siege.

Shadow Overtake (Darkus Bakugan only) – Changes the Gate's Attribute to Darkus. (Does not apply to Command or Character Cards.)

Disarming Shadow (Darkus Bakugan only) – Negates the opp.'s Ability card.

Double Eclipse (Darkus Bakugan only) – Doubles your G-Power advantage.

Magnify (All Attributes) – Doubles the effects of all Ability cards played immediately before this card.

Unexpected Mutate (All Attributes) – You may swap one of your unused Ability cards for another in your collection.

Aqua Multiplier (Aquos Bakugan only) – All Aquos Bakugan at the battle gain 50G for every Bakugan at the battle.

Ninjitsu Wave (Aquos Ninjitsu Monarus only) – Adds 350G to Monarus.

Disarming Light (Haos Bakugan only) – Nullifies your opp.'s Ability.

Power Steal (Haos Bakugan only) – Transfers 100G from each of your opp.'s Bakugan to your Bakugan.

Light Barrier (Haos Bakugan only) – If you have more than one Haos at the battle, your opponent may not play Ability cards.

Double Light (Haos Bakugan only) – Can be used at any time. Doubles the G-Power advantage of any Haos Bakugan at the battle.

Mighty Hurricane (Ventus Battleaxe Tigrerra only) – Transfers 100G from the opp.'s Bakugan to your Bakugan for every Ability card you've played during the game.

Victorious Gusts of Power (Ventus Bakugan only) – Allows your Bakugan to gain 100G in its next battle for each Bakugan your opp. has at the battle, as long as you win this battle.

Ventus Reaction (Ventus Bakugan only) – When used directly after a Ventus Ability, adds 300G to your Bakugan.

Quake Transfer (Subterra Bakugan only) – Takes 200G from the opp.'s PL and adds it to your PL.

Mirror of Stone (Subterra Bakugan only) – Your Bakugan's Attribute is changed to that of one of its opponents.

Inferno Void (Pyrus Bakugan only) – Transfers 200G from your opp.'s Bakugan to your Bakugan.

Summon Forth Hell (Pyrus Mage Drone only) – (Effect Unknown.)

Delta Demilitarise (Pyrus Delta Dragonoid only) – Can be used at any time. Cancels opp.'s Ability and adds 200G-Power to Delta Dragonoid.

**SUPPORTIVE ABILITIES:**

Omega Wind (Ventus Omega Striker only) – You may add a Ventus Bakugan to the Field.

Gale Warning (Ventus Omega Striker only) – Prevents all opp.s from using any kind of card to directly alter PLs.

Graveyard Switch – If you have an Enhancer on the Field that's at least 50 percent charged, you may switch your battling Bakugan with one of your defeated Bakugan.

Self-Destruct (Alpha Turret only) – Takes Alpha Turret out of the game. Both PLs are altered to 1000.

Aftershock – When played directly after another Supportive Ability, transfers 250G from opp.'s PL to yours.

Omega Reinforcement (Omega Striker only) – You may add a Bakugan to the battle from either your own clip or that of a team-mate.

Charge Increase – Adds forty percent to your Enhancer's charge percentage.

Charge Convert – Adds G-Power to your Bakugan equal to half the percentage level of your Enhancer, multiplied by ten.

Summon Enhancer – Moves your Enhancer to the Gate you're battling on.

Form Change – Turns your activated Enhancer into a Bakugan. The effect of this card can be manually shut down at any time by you. Your Enhancer will no longer enhance card effects, but it can now defend itself in activated mode, and will not have its PL affected by enemy attacks.

Energy Leakage – For this battle, all G-Power your opp. gains from cards is halved, the remainder being converted to charge energy for your Enhancer.

Charge Steal – Reduces your opp.'s Enhancer's charge level to zero. The percentage they lost is the percentage your Bakugan's PL is raised by.

Charge Equate – Brings your Enhancer's charge level up or down to meet that of your opp.'s Enhancer.

Graveyard Summon – If your Enhancer's charge level is seventy percent or less, then you may add to the battle any of your defeated Bakugan with a base PL equal to or less than that of your current battling Bakugan.

Charge Transfer – Transfers all your Enhancer's charge power to an ally Enhancer.

Switch Barrier – Swaps an opp.'s Enhancer with your own. If your Enhancer is Haos, no opp.s may deploy Enhancers until the end of your next turn.

Beta Summon (Subterra Beta Core only) – Subtracts 350 from your opp.'s PL if you have Subterra Beta Core on the Field.

Signal Quake (Subterra Beta Core only) – Transfers 300G-Power from your opp.'s PL to yours.

Alpha Enhancement Fire (Pyrus Alpha Turret only) – Adds 300G to one of your Pyrus Microgan, as long as Alpha Turret is on the Field.

Wall of Flames (Pyrus Enhancers only) – Protects your activated Enhancer from attacks for a limited time.

Form Change Fire – Works the same as Form Change, but changes your Enhancer to a Pyrus Bakugan, regardless of its former Attribute. 150G is added to your PL for each Pyrus Bakugan and supporting piece you have on the Gate Card.

**MICRO ABILITIES:**

Tarantula Sting (Pyrus Tarantulak in weapon mode only) – Nullifies Gate and adds 200G to your PL.

Morph Silk (Tarantulak in independent mode only) – Change Tarantulak to any Attribute you wish.

Arachnid Lance (Tarantulak in weapon mode only) – Subtracts 300G from opp.'s PL.

Phasor Plus (Phasorak only) – Adds 200G-Power to Phasorak.

Spider Sensor (Tarantulak in weapon mode) – Your Bakugan becomes invulnerable to opp.'s attacks, and 200G-Power is added to Tarantulak.

Winged Fury (Phasorak only) – Adds 250Gs to Phasorak.

Darkus and Pyrus Diagonal Relation Mark II (Pyrus and Darkus Microgan combined) – (Effect Unknown.)

Wildcat Fury (Panferus only) – Adds 200G-Power to Panferus.

Faux Feline (Panferus in independent mode only) – Creates a copy of Panferus, which has G-Power equal to that which Panferus currently holds.

Dragonic Blade (Dracoflyer in weapon mode only) – Adds 300G-Power to your PL.

Glacier Blade (Aquos Dracoflyer in weapon mode only) – Adds 350G-Power to your PL.

Ultimate Sword of Ice (Aquos Dracoflyer in Weapon mode only) – Adds 400G-Power to your PL.

Reviving Meteor Hail – Restores Microgan PLs to base, subtracts 100G from opp.'s PL.

Venom Strike (Vaeporo in weapon mode only) – Deducts 300G from all enemy Bakugan at battle.

Opposites Combine – Adds 150G to all your battling Microgan, as long as you have both Ventus and Subterra Microgan in play.

Shark Frenzy (Tijawrus only) – Adds 300G to Tijawrus.

Wild Jet-Stream (Gryzler in weapon mode only) – Takes 200G-Power off all enemy Bakugan.

Bear Claw (Gryzler only) – Adds 300G-Power to Gryzler.

Jackal Howl (Jakaloth only) – Adds 250G-Power to Jakaloth.

Wyvern Strike (Wyvoro in weapon mode only) – Transfers 150G from opp.'s PL to yours.

**ULTIMATE ABILITIES:**

Wind Powered Eagle Strike (Ventus Eagoroth and Omega Striker in ultimate mode only) – Transfers 500G from the opp.'s PL to yours.

Winged Flaming Phasor (Pyrus Phasorak and Alpha Turret in ultimate mode only) – Moves Alpha Turret to any Gate Card. All enemy Bakugan battling currently against your Bakugan lose 50G.

Shining Gamma Predator (Gamma Dome and Haos Tijawrus in ultimate mode only) – Adds 1000 G-Power to Gamma Dome.

Wild Meteor Storm (Beta Core and Jakaloth in ultimate mode only) – Takes 300G from opp.'s PL for every Bakugan they have at the battle.

Fire-Powered Hellbat Strike (Alpha Turret and Phasorak only) – Transfers 500G from your opp.'s PL to yours.

**COMMAND CARDS:**

Dark Coils – Raises G-Power of Darkus Bakugan by 100 for each 50G your opp. was ahead by when your Bakugan was thrown. If your opp.'s Bakugan is Haos, they lose G-Power equal to the amount your Bakugan gains.

Quartet Battle* – Adds two Bakugan—one from each player/team—to the battle.

Banish Shadows – Turns any Darkus Bakugan at the battle to Haos and reduces their G-Power by 100.

Shadow Swap – The PLs swap when the Gate Card is opened, then all Darkus Bakugan belonging to you gain 100G.

Unstable Vortex – Drains G-Power of all battling Bakugan to zero. If all battling Bakugan share the same Attribute, then instead, drains the G-Power of the strongest Bakugan. If all battling Bakugan share the same Attribute _and_ G-Power, nothing happens.

Surging Strength – The strongest Bakugan gains 400G.

Mirror Brawl – Each Bakugan at the battle changes to its opposite Attribute (Pyrus/Aquos, Haos/Darkus, Subterra/Ventus).

Mind Ghost* – All Bakugan on this card lose, no matter which side they're on.

Wind Power – If the strongest Bakugan at the battle is Ventus, it's opp.'s PL is reduced to zero.

Favoritism Gorge – All non-Subterra Bakugan lose 150G.

Battle of Three – A Bakugan from your team/clip is added to the battle.

Void Pull – Can be opened at any time. All standing Bakugan are moved to this Gate. Any battling Bakugan that were not already standing on this Gate when it was opened have their PLs reduced to zero.

Light Shutdown – Nullifies the opp.'s Abilities. All Haos Bakugan gain 150G.

Stand Off* – No Ability cards may be played.

Narrow Gap – All Bakugan with over 350G cannot activate Ability cards, and lose half of their base PL.

Duck and Win* – The Bakugan with the lowest G-Power wins the battle.

Power Merge – Each of your Bakugan absorbs 100G from each of your opp.'s Bakugan.

Stone Swap – The Bakugan swap PLs, then all Subterra Bakugan belonging to owner of the Gate gain 100G.

Reload – The owner of the Bakugan that loses may sacrifice all their remaining Ability cards in exchange for three new ones from their collection.

Gravity Plus – All flying Bakugan are forced to return to the ground, and lose 200G. All non-flying Bakugan gain 200G.

Null Breeze – No Ability cards may be played. All Ventus Bakugan gain 100G.

Battle Hold – Stops the battle, with each Bakugan remaining on the card. Blocks the opp.'s Abilities for a limited time.

Overconfidence Shatter – The winning Bakugan has its PL halved.

Wind Shutdown – Nullifies the opp.'s Abilities. All Ventus Bakugan gain 150G.

Double Shadow Swap – Switches the PLs. If all Bakugan on the Gate are Darkus, then 150G is transferred from the opp.'s PL to yours.

Joker's Wild* – Your Darkus Bakugan wins unconditionally.


End file.
